{"id":181368,"date":"2026-06-16T21:37:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T03:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=181368"},"modified":"2026-06-16T21:37:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T03:07:39","slug":"eng-vs-nz-2nd-test-joe-root-says-captaincy-is-on-a-game-by-game-basis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=181368","title":{"rendered":"ENG vs NZ, 2nd Test: Joe Root says captaincy is on a \u2018game-by-game basis\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

Joe Root says he is taking the England captaincy on a \u201cgame-by-game basis\u201d after replacing the exiled Ben Stokes for this week\u2019s second Test against New Zealand.<\/p>\n

With Stokes left out of the squad for the Oval clash after breaking a midnight curfew along with team-mate Gus Atkinson, Root agreed to skipper England for the first time since 2022.<\/p>\n

Stokes and Atkinson became embroiled in an incident at a London nightclub while celebrating England\u2019s first Test win against New Zealand, prompting reports the Durham all-rounder could be stripped of the captaincy or retire from international cricket.<\/p>\n

Root led England in a record 64 matches before being replaced by Stokes once the leadership role took a heavy toll on his form and peace of mind.<\/p>\n

England won just one of its last 17 Tests prior to Root stepping down as captain.<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old batsman believes he is in a \u201cdifferent place\u201d now, making him confident he will be able to lift the mood around the England squad after a turbulent period.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought I\u2019d be sat here talking to you guys as England captain again. Zero chance… 0.1 percent,\u201d he told reporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thinking that came to my mind is what is the best thing for this team, is it going to have a big effect on me and my personal life and which outweighed the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is it felt like it was the right thing to take this on, so I tried to make it as simple as that. I think I am in a very different place to when I finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be captaining this group of players is a really exciting opportunity. It\u2019s a game-by-game basis, I think. Let\u2019s not look beyond this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

England head coach Brendon McCullum refused to be drawn on Stokes\u2019 status ahead of Wednesday\u2019s opening day of the second Test.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: New Zealand needs collective effort to replace Williamson, says Rachin Ravindra<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Amid an England and Wales Cricket Board investigation into the late-night incident, McCullum on Monday said he was concerned about Stokes\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n

Root, who is a close friend of the all-rounder, could lead England again in the third Test at Trent Bridge, which begins just three days after the scheduled finish at the Oval.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spoken to him a number of times over the last week or so,\u201d Root said of Stokes. \u201cWe\u2019re close friends and I think they should stay as privileged conversations between me and him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to how Ben\u2019s feeling, how he is, I think they\u2019re all questions that he should be answering himself. I\u2019m sure, at the right time and when he\u2019s ready, he will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if Stokes could command the same authority after flouting a curfew he helped bring in, Root added: \u201cI\u2019m sure he has this respect of everyone in our dressing room. He\u2019s been a phenomenal leader for the last four years and the way he\u2019s captained been brilliant.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a talismanic player and a great friend to a number of the guys, so of course there\u2019s a huge amount of respect there from everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Published on Jun 16, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joe Root says he is taking the England captaincy on a \u201cgame-by-game basis\u201d after replacing the exiled Ben Stokes for this week\u2019s second Test against New Zealand. With Stokes left…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":181369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-181368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781665659_2026-06-07T100324Z_1622928983_UP1EM670RXN6W_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":179111,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179111","url_meta":{"origin":181368,"position":0},"title":"Stokes, Atkinson left out of Oval Test; Joe Root handed captaincy – Cricbuzz","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Stokes, Atkinson left out of Oval Test; Joe Root handed captaincy\u00a0\u00a0CricbuzzStokes dropped by England after nightclub incident\u00a0\u00a0cricket.com.auInterim skipper leads England for second New Zealand Test\u00a0\u00a0icc-cricket.comUncertain future haunts Ben Stokes after England curfew breach and ECB probe\u00a0\u00a0Telegraph IndiaDeveloping story - Stokes captaincy on the line after nightclub incident\u00a0\u00a0ESPNcricinfo Source link","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/J6_coFbogxhRI9iM864NL_liGXvsQp2AupsKei7z0cNNfDvGUmWUy20nuUhkREQyrpY4bEeIBucs0-w300-rw.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":181266,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=181266","url_meta":{"origin":181368,"position":1},"title":"ENG vs NZ, 2nd Test: Jamie Smith to go on paternity leave; James Rew to make debut","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England has announced ahead of its second Test against New Zealand that Jamie Smith will miss the match on paternity leave, and that uncapped wicketkeeper-batter James Rew will debut in his place. Rew, who plays for Somerset, will be the third debutant in this England lineup alongside Jordan Cox and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T113706Z_1187973618_UP1EM670W9SBP_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T113706Z_1187973618_UP1EM670W9SBP_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T113706Z_1187973618_UP1EM670W9SBP_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T113706Z_1187973618_UP1EM670W9SBP_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T113706Z_1187973618_UP1EM670W9SBP_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":179076,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179076","url_meta":{"origin":181368,"position":2},"title":"Stokes, Atkinson left out for second New Zealand Test; Root named interim captain","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England Test captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been left out of England\u2019s squad for the second Test of its series against New Zealand. 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