Joe Root has praised Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum after the pair celebrated their first one-day international win abroad while in charge of England’s white-ball teams.
Root’s 75 was the guiding hand in England’s five-wicket win against Sri Lanka on Saturday, ending a losing streak away from home that started in November 2024. McCullum began his reign as all-format head coach in India two months later before Brook ascended to the limited-overs captaincy in April. Both have come under scrutiny in recent weeks: McCullum’s future has been thrown into doubt following England’s defeat in the Ashes, while Brook has apologized for his clash with a nightclub bouncer on the eve of the third ODI against New Zealand at the start of the winter.
Speaking about the Brook incident, Root said: “He has apologised, he has taken his punishment and he is desperate to take this team forward. I think he is going to be a brilliant England captain and he is going to do great things in an England shirt, both as a player and as a leader. So I fully support him and I want to see him, I think, move past it and learn from it and grow as a person and as a captain.”
“I think Baz [McCullum] is one of the best coaches I have ever worked with. If you look at my own personal play, the time he has been a coach has increased tenfold. I think most of the players, if you look individually, all their games have improved under his tenure as coach. Same with [Jeetan Patel] And [Marcus Trescothick] as hitting coach and assistant coach. They have done a lot of good things for English cricket and will continue to do so in the future. Obviously we’re disappointed with the way things turned out in Australia, but I still think there’s a lot more exciting things to come from this group.
While claiming he is “still having the best time” in the current England setup, Root added that he has not yet given the Ashes much thought. “After this tour I’ll have a few months to look at it properly and probably dispassionately. I think that’s probably the most sensible way to do it.”
“I could sit here and get excited and angry about it and probably say something that I don’t necessarily mean, or I could give myself some time to really think about it and then have a good, honest conversation with a little more reason and feeling behind it.”
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