England Back On Track After 'Chaos', Says Joe Root

Root: England Finally Back On Track After "Chaos" Summer

England Test skipper Joe Root says the side has finally steadied the ship after a turbulent few months, celebrating a clean 3-0 series whitewash over Pakistan at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Things got messy. Stokes pulled his surprise international retirement mid-series (during the NZ decider at Trent Bridge) after being stood down over a nightclub incident involving Gus Atkinson. Head coach Brendon McCullum lost his red-ball role, and England had just dropped a series 2-0. Root stepped back into the cap after five years in the job, working alongside interim coach Marcus Trescothick.

The result? Three comfortable wins—Headingley, Lord's, and now Edgbaston. Root went unbeaten on 62 in Saturday's 8-wicket victory.

"There's been a lot of chaos around this series before a ball was bowled," Root said. "But the way we've responded on and off the field has been excellent. Whether you call it chaos, unusual, or unsettling—all fair. What matters is what comes from it."

Culture change won't be instant though. The buildup to the 2nd Test was soured by Brydon Carse's nightclub incident—he's been dropped and not picked since. Root admitted rebuilding the team environment "doesn't happen overnight... it's going to take time." New head coach Stephen Fleming is expected to arrive in the coming days to take over from McCullum—Root believes he'll find the side on an even keel.

Source: Cricketnmore