Root begins second stint as England captain against Pakistan

England begin a new chapter in Leeds, where a three-match Test series against Pakistan opens on Wednesday at Headingley. Joe Root takes back the captaincy from Ben Stokes, having previously held the role for five years before resigning in 2022 following a difficult tour of the West Indies.

Stokes led the side for four years but leaves it in a shaky position, with just two wins from the last ten matches, compared with one win from 17 when he took charge. England are also navigating a coaching reshuffle: Brendon McCullum has been removed as Test coach, his successor Stephen Fleming has not yet started, leaving Marcus Trescothick as interim coach, while McCullum continues in charge of the white-ball side.

During Root's first spell as captain, his win rate stood at 55% across his first 47 matches — higher than Stokes (54%), Michael Vaughan (51%) and Mike Brearley (58%). However, the Covid-19 pandemic and a shift in focus toward limited-overs cricket affected his team, with results deteriorating toward the end of his tenure.

Now 35, Root is the oldest player in the squad, a contrast to 2017 when he was the third-youngest in his first match as captain. His batting average as captain (46.7) trails his overall career average (53.3), though since the start of the Bazball era he has scored more Test runs than any other player worldwide and is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record.

England enter the series as favourites, with Pakistan yet to win a series in the country in 30 years and missing captain Babar Azam through injury. Still, Pakistan have played more Tests this summer than England and possess dangerous bowlers in Mohammad Abbas and Sajid Khan.

Ahead of Root lies a demanding schedule, including tours of South Africa and Bangladesh, a one-off Test against Australia, and a trip to India in early 2028.