Joe Root returns as England captain, says he will not "ripping up" Stokes and McCullum's work ahead of Pakistan Test
On 18 August 2026, returning England captain Joe Root said he would not "ripping up" the work of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as his side prepared for the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley in Leeds, on the Yorkshireman’s return to the captaincy.
The three-match series is England’s first since Stokes’ retirement from international cricket and McCullum’s removal from his red-ball role, and Root faced questions about how the team will replace Stokes. Asked whether Stokes might return, Root replied, "Who knows?" and added that the immediate focus was "the here and now" of this series; he also said he had been in "constant contact" with incoming head coach Stephen Fleming, who will not take up his position until after the Pakistan series with Marcus Trescothick filling in for now.
Root said he saw no need for wholesale change to the approach established under Stokes and McCullum. "I don't think there's a huge amount that we need to change. It's small things that will make a big difference. It's not about ripping it up," he said, adding that the team should retain much of what had been built while making "small adjustments that in-game will make a big difference."
On how England should play, Root stressed adaptability across a five-day match. "I don't believe there is a style, one way of playing Test cricket," he said, warning that teams must "play the situation and the different tempos of the game" and that when opportunities arise "you want to put teams under pressure and you want to find ways of driving the game forward, but that might look different in different circumstances."
Pakistan will be without their regular captain for the opener after Babar Azam was ruled out following a hand injury sustained in their warm-up at Beckenham; Salman Ali Agha will lead Pakistan at Headingley, a setback for a side that has not won a Test series away from home since 2023, the England camp noted.
England had not named a playing XI, with most of the squad coming from recent Hundred action; Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, who were part of the Manchester Super Giants side that triumphed on Sunday, trained on Tuesday alongside seam options Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Matthew Fisher, Sam Cook and Ollie Robinson.
Dan Lawrence is confirmed at No 6, effectively replacing Stokes in the XI, and Root spoke highly of his off-spin and form: "Dan's been an exceptional player for Surrey throughout the whole season. His numbers are amazing. He's played some brilliant innings and is in great form and I think is a very underrated bowler. So he offers a great amount. Clearly it is a different make-up to the team and a different balance to things, but there's no reason why that can't be successful either."
The first Test at Headingley will open the three-match series between England and Pakistan, with Root leading the side for the start of the contest and Fleming due to assume the head-coach role after the series concludes.