LONDON : England responded excellently to an “unusual summer” marked by a captaincy change, a new coach and off-field incidents, Test captain Joe Root said after his side completed a 3-0 series sweep of Pakistan.
Root, 35, the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history, returned as England’s Test captain after all-rounder Ben Stokes retired from international cricket. Root previously led England in a record 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022, winning 27.
Former New Zealand batter Stephen Fleming was appointed head coach in July after England parted ways with compatriot Brendon McCullum following his four-year tenure.
The build-up to the second Test was also overshadowed by controversy involving fast bowler Brydon Carse, who was dropped from the squad following an incident outside a nightclub in Derby.
Despite the distractions, England completed the series sweep on Saturday with an eight-wicket victory in the third and final Test at Edgbaston.
“There’s been a lot of chaos around this series before a ball was bowled,” Root told a news conference. “At the start of the series, we wanted 3-0 and we’ve been clinical enough to do that.
“It’s been a very unusual summer, hasn’t it? That’s probably a better way of putting it. There’s been a lot of different things happen. We had a resignation mid-series, there have been a few off-field incidents and we’ve got a new coach.
“Whether you call it chaos, whether you call it unusual, whether you call it unsettling, all are fair. But ultimately, the thing that I care about, and that’s most important, is what happens from that. And I think the way that we’ve responded to that has been excellent.
“And the fact that there’s now clarity in what is expected of the group moving forward is quite evident and we build on that now.”
England next host Sri Lanka in a three-match Twenty20 series beginning in Southampton on Tuesday before facing them in three One-Day Internationals.
