Joe Root has been reappointed as England’s Test captain following the retirement of Ben Stokes and the arrival of new coach Stephen Fleming. Root says he will not completely ditch the Bazball blueprint; instead, he intends to keep the positive aspects, tweak where needed, hvilke keep competing against top nations.

His previous stint ended with only one win in 17 matches and a 4‑0 defeat in the Ashes. Root, now 35, asserts he has grown and is a very different leader, noting his batting average as skipper was 53.34 without the armband.

Root credits Fleming’s vision and experience as a key reason for his enthusiasm. “We’re building something special together,” he said, eager to work with the former New Zealand captain on setting the team’s direction.

The next three‑match series against Pakistan starts on 19 August at Headingley, with further games at Lord’s and Edgbaston. All matches are live on Sky Sports, and fans can stream them through the NOW service.