Arabic version: روت يحث لاعبي إنجلترا على تقديم مثال أقوى

According to BBC News, Joe Root has urged England’s Test players to be “really good role models and human beings” as he begins a second spell as captain. England start a new era against Pakistan in the first Test at Headingley on Wednesday, following a summer in which the side’s on-field results and off-field conduct came under scrutiny.

Root succeeds Ben Stokes, who announced his international retirement earlier in the summer. Brendon McCullum was sacked as Test coach after England won two of 10 Tests, a period affected by off-field issues. Stephen Fleming has been appointed as McCullum’s replacement, although batting coach Marcus Trescothick will take interim charge for the three-Test Pakistan series.

“You always want to represent your country in the best possible light,” Root told BBC Sport. “We might have fallen short of that on a few occasions in the recent past.” He said England’s response must be to set an example and deliver strong performances, adding that the match against Pakistan offers the first opportunity to do so.

The 35-year-old, England’s greatest batter and a veteran of 166 Tests, previously captained the side in 65 Tests between 2017 and 2022. He said his natural personality could help bring calm to the men’s national team, while identifying the need to adapt without Stokes rather than attempt to copy him. Root said England should build on positives from the past four years by “fine tuning and evolving” the team.