Michael Vaughan has said that the third West Indies-England Test in the Caribbean could be Joe Root’s last as England Test captain.
Vaughan, a former England Test skipper himself, wondered whether the ongoing Test at Grenada may be Root’s last in the job. Vaughan’s comments came during the tea interval, which England reached on 43-4 in their second innings, still trailing West Indies by 50.
A draw or defeat in Grenada would extend England’s miserable record in Test cricket since their win in Chennai early last year to just one victory in 17.
Following England’s Ashes debacle, Ashley Giles and Chris Silverwood – the England men’s former managing director and head coach respectively – both lost their jobs, while England’s leading two wicket-takers in Test cricket – James Anderson and Stuart Broad – were left out as England sought to use the West Indies tour as an opportunity to hit the reset button. Root, who was already the player to have captained England in more Tests than anyone, remained in the role for the series.
Vaughan, who captained England to 26 Test victories, said that he saw signs in Root that he might not want to continue in the job.
Speaking on BT Sport’s coverage of the third West Indies-England Test, Vaughan initially described Root’s second innings dismissal as “tired” before calling into question his short-term future as captain. “[It was] Just a tired shot,” said Vaughan. “I just feel that this could be his last Test match as captain. I can just see it in his face, I’ve been in that position. When it goes, and he’s been the captain for such a long period of time, it might just starting to come to an end for him.”
