Joe Root backs Brendon McCullum’s approach to bear fruit for England ODI team
Root feels there is now “the same sort of feeling as 2015-16”, when Eoin Morgan’s messaging led to a resurgence which culminated in World Cup glory.
England’s latest white-ball reset may have got off to a false start but Joe Root sees parallels between now and the early stages of Eoin Morgan’s revolutionary overhaul of the ODI and T20 teams.
A decade on from Morgan’s first engagement as captain ending in the 2015 World Cup debacle, Brendon McCullum began his reign as limited-overs head coach with a 4-1 T20 series defeat to India.
Morgan’s messaging of playing fearlessly led to England’s resurgence, culminating in their 2019 World Cup triumph, in a four-year spell where Root amassed a dozen ODI centuries with an average close to 60.
Since Morgan retired in 2022, England have lacked conviction under Jos Buttler but McCullum has been hired to lift the set-up with the same positive approach that led to success with the Test side.
And Root, set for his first ODI in 15 months in the series-opener against India in Nagpur on Thursday, believes McCullum’s philosophy will bear fruit with the talent at England’s disposal.
“It’s a lot more established than it was but it has that same sort of feeling as 2015-16, Morgs taking over, how all of a sudden we’re like, ‘What can we actually do? What can we be capable of doing?’
“One of the big draws for me being involved in this white-ball set-up is you don’t know how far it can go and how entertaining and fun it can be, seeing where we’re going to get to.”
Because of his commitments to the Test side, Root has featured in just 28 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup final, averaging just under 29 – well below a career mark of 47.6 – and with a highest score of 86.
But he has arrived in India with a spring in his step after a sublime SA20 campaign, where Root’s form has led to calls for his T20 return despite last featuring for England in the format in May 2019.
“I’ve not thought about international T20 cricket for a long time because I’ve not been involved in it for a long time,” the 34-year-old said. “I haven’t given up (on playing T20s for England again).
“I also understand that you look at where the T20 game is going and how England have set up in the T20 team for a long time, it’s probably a slightly different player and role we’ll need in that position.
“The exciting thing is something that I’ve always looked at in my career: How can I evolve? How can I keep getting better? How can I be the best version of the player that I am within my own remit? That’s what I’ll continue to try to do when I get the chance to play in that format.”
Scrutiny continues to fall on England’s ability to play the turning ball in Asia, and the tourists will likely have to again contend with Varun Chakravarthy in this series after the mystery spinner, who starred in the T20s, was added to India’s ODI squad on Tuesday.
Highly-skilled left-armers Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav also lie in wait, perhaps placing even more of an emphasis on Root, widely regarded as one of the best batters against spin in the world.
“I also think sometimes you can over-complicate things and make bowlers out to be something they’re not. I guess more than anything, this is just trying to keep it as simple as possible.”
After these three ODIs, Root heads to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy before a home Test series against India in the English summer then the winter’s Ashes in Australia.
Root, though, insists he is not thinking too far ahead.
“When I was Test captain, it would have been (on my mind). I think now it’s a bit different,” he added. “I think you can just be a little bit more relaxed. You’re not having to think too much about that side of things.”
A board meeting of the England and Wales Cricket Board will take place on Thursday, offering a final opportunity to discuss next month’s fixture against Afghanistan. There have been calls for the ECB to boycott the fixture in a show of solidarity with Afghanistan’s women, who are in exile due to a clampdown on female rights under the Taliban regime.
Chief executive Richard Gould has previously advocated collective action at international level but has shown no appetite for a unilateral response at the tournament. A change of heart at this stage is not thought to be likely.
