Joe Root To Be England’s Next Tests Captain? Why Not, Asks Jason Gillespie
Feb 8, 2017 at 8:12 PM
Former Australian seamer Jason Gillespie has backed Joe Root to take over the baton from Alastair Cook, who stepped down from captaincy post on Monday. Believing in his (Joe’s) ability to lead England from now, Gillespie said the fear of extra responsibility hampering his form isn’t something to get worried about.
Contrary to his thoughts, ex-England spinner Graeme Swann said Joe is a bit young to be holding the charge and is good run-of-form from bat might just take the back seat. He said, ‘he cheeky, dynamic joie de vivre-type player he was two or three years ago.’ However speaking to Guardian, Gillespie said having seen him grow in the outfields of Yorkshire as a coach, Joe is mature enough and would certainly break those small shackles and move ahead with pride on his shoulders.
“I understand the point he’s trying to make And no one wants Joe to lose his swagger or that inherent cheekiness but this is a guy who is maturing all the time. He’s played 53 Tests, he’s 26 years old and he is ready to go.”
Gillespie, who coached Yorkshire from 2011 to 2016, helped them lift back-to-back county championships in past. Having closely followed the English culture for a while now, Gillespie said he doesn’t feel anyone toppling Root for the captaincy position. He concluded the statement saying risk-taking must be involved to seek better results.
“During my time in England I picked up a slight reluctance to give young guys leadership responsibility. But looking at the set-up, I don’t think there are any other candidates more qualified to take the role on than Joe Root. Risk-taking a must.”
Not only him, legendary batsman Geoffrey Boycott also said Joe must take adventurous steps to fix the problems and should inject more aggressiveness into his captaincy if he manages to win the race.
“Root has to be more adventurous than Alastair Cook. Being careful is OK up to a point, but imagination, flair and taking a risk are absolute musts.”
ECB’s director of cricket, Andrew Strauss earlier commented that Joe isn’t an immediate choice and there is the procedure to pick up a captain. He also claimed that the name would be announced before England visit West Indies for limited-over series in March.