England skipper Joe Root hopeful cricket break will make him a better captain and batsman
Joe Root believes he can come back a better England captain when international cricket resumes next month.
England’s skipper said he believed both his leadership and wider game would benefit from the enforced break caused by the coronavirus lockdown ahead of a packed summer.
“I’ve enjoyed it and benefited from it, having a bit of time to think about the game as a batter and as a captain,” he said. “Take a bit of stock about the best way to take the team forward and how I will get the best out of myself for the next couple of years.
“I could see that having a big impact on my longevity. Hopefully, that has a positive impact on both sides of my cricket and we can start seeing a few more converted scores and England winning plenty of games.”
Root worked on Monday with former England head coach Peter Moores at his first training session at Trent Bridge. When Moores was at the helm for a second spell, Root scored 1,135 runs at an average of 94.5 in 10 Tests, including four centuries.
Of that partnership resumption, Root said: “I spent a good couple of years working with Pete on my batting and you could argue that some of my best years batting-wise were while he was in charge. It has been nice to touch base with him again.”
England might be without Root for the opening Test against West Indies next month, with his wife due to give birth early in July and Root saying he would miss playing for the birth, with Ben Stokes standing in as skipper.
West Indies are scheduled to fly to England for the impending tour at the start of next week, but three of the potential travelling party have opted against taking up their place.
Darren Bravo, Keemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer have decided to opt out. Cricket West Indies (CWI) said they "fully respected" that decision and reiterated that it would not be held against them in terms of future selection.
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