Root urges England to be 'really good role models and human beings' ahead of Headingley Test

Joe Root called on his England players to be "really good role models and human beings" at the start of his second reign as Test captain ahead of Wednesday's first Test against Pakistan at Headingley. Root has won a record 27 Tests as England captain but has also suffered a record 27 defeats.

Off-field issues and poor results have framed England's recent period, with incidents including Harry Brook's altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington and the team's drinking during a mid-Ashes trip to Noosa, which coincided with a heavy 4-1 defeat by Australia. The problems continued into the summer when Ben Stokes broke a team curfew, setting in motion six weeks that resulted in a 2-1 series defeat by New Zealand, Stokes' shock international retirement and the sacking of Brendon McCullum.

Brendon McCullum was removed as Test coach after just two wins in 10 Tests and has been succeeded by Stephen Fleming, though batting coach Marcus Trescothick will take interim charge of the Test side for the three-match series against Pakistan. Root, 35, a veteran of 166 Tests who previously captained England in 65 matches between 2017 and 2022, said he hoped his "natural persona" is suited to bringing a sense of calm to the men's national team.

"You always want to represent your country in the best possible light," Root, 35, told BBC Sport. "We might have fallen short of that on a few occasions in the recent past. "The only thing we can do to rectify that is be really good role models, good human beings and put in really strong performances on the field. "The first opportunity to do that is this week."

Root said one of his "big challenges" is "trying not to be Ben Stokes" and added: "He is a very unique player with unbelievable qualities that I don't think are easy to replicate," Root said. "I don't think there is any point trying to. "It is going to have a slightly different look to it but that is OK."

On the team's style, Root said he wants England to be "versatile" and that: "There has been a lot of good stuff that has happened in the past four years that will serve us really well. "It is about not ripping it up, just fine tuning and evolving that and taking that to the next level. We have got to find a way of evolving the team without him."

Root stopped short of naming an XI on Tuesday, but England are expected to pick Surrey all-rounder Dan Lawrence in Stokes' position at number six and rely on him to provide their spin-bowling option. The side will choose between Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Brydon Carse and Matt Fisher for a four-man pace attack.

Pakistan confirmed captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test after he was hit on the hand during a warm-up match last week; he will be replaced as skipper by Salman Ali Agha.

England begin their three-match series against Pakistan with the first Test at Headingley on Wednesday.