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Joe Root says he thought “long and hard” about his future as England captain – but he is the right man to “take the team forward”.
Root’s captaincy came under intense scrutiny following the disastrous Ashes defeat by Australia.
Since then, head coach Chris Silverwood and director of cricket Ashley Giles have departed, but Root says he still has the appetite to lead England.
“I’ve got a lot of energy for it,” added the 31-year-old Yorkshireman.
Root added: “I obviously had a long, hard think about things. I feel I’m the right man for the job and I’m very energised in hoping to take this team forward.”
He was speaking ahead of the first Test against West Indies, which starts on Tuesday and his team looking to become only the second England side since 1968 to win a Test series in the Caribbean.
Root, who has led the Test side on 61 occasions, says the series represents an opportunity for England to move past the Ashes defeat.
“I’m very grateful to get the opportunity – and hopefully this can be a real start of change in our performances,” he added.
“It’s a real chance to start getting back to where we need to be, which is one of the leading teams in Test cricket.”
‘A great opportunity for a number of guys to step up’
Pressed on whether he considered stepping down as captain following the Ashes, Root said: “As with everything, when it comes to playing for England, that always comes first, and whatever I think is best for the team is what I will do.
“I think I’m the right person to take this team forward. I thought long and hard about that and I’m very much looking forward to that opportunity now.
“When I was weighing that up, it would have been wrong to just commit to a short-term thing.
“I always try to do what I think is best for this group of players, whether that is with the bat in hand or as captain of this team.”
England are embarking on the three-match West Indies tour without their top two leading Test wicket-takers in James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who were dropped by interim managing director Andrew Strauss.
When asked if he considers this a “fresh start” for England, Root added: “This is a great opportunity for a number of guys to step up, take on some different roles, really develop themselves as players and become more leaders within this group.
“We’ve seen that in small snippets so far. The real test will be, can the guys do it in the Test matches?”
