England’s interim head coach Paul Collingwood remains upbeat despite their 1-0 Test series defeat to West Indies and says the constant questioning of Joe Root the captain “amazes” him.

England have won a solitary game in their last 17 outings in Test cricket, with a string of ex-internationals, including former England captains Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, questioning the leadership of Root, who has led England in more Tests than anyone else. However, much like Root, Collingwood has focused on the positives from the tour saying the team is a “lot stronger now than when I first picked the team up.”

Named interim head coach following Chris Silverwood’s removal from the role, Collingwood, speaking to the press, said: “I couldn’t be more positive of what we’ve done over these past three-and-a-half weeks in the West Indies. The response from the players from what I felt as though we’d picked up from Australia moving into here, the way we went about giving them clarity, direction, and how open they were, and where they were as individuals, as a team, and how we were going to move forward, it was always my challenge to leave this team in a better place than when I first got it, and I personally feel as though it’s a lot stronger now than when I first picked the team up.

“Everyone’s seen the results on the park, of course, we didn’t get the win in Antigua or Barbados, but you could see the way the guys were playing there was a real determination to win those games, whether it be the declarations or the way we were setting totals up, the guys are going out there and producing some very good cricket. If they continue playing like that they will turn the corner and win games of cricket very quickly.”

He also backed Root stating: “He is still very much our No. 1 to take this team forward.”

“Sometimes it amazes me that he gets questioned, because of how it feels within the dressing room. It’s the first time I’ve experienced him as a head coach and you can see the passion, the drive. There’s a hunger to get it right. These aren’t just words coming out of his mouth.

“You have to understand how it feels in the dressing room and how strong a leader he is. He has the full backing. The full backing from all the players and the management as well. It feels like he is still very much our No. 1 to take this team forward.”