Root told to quit as England captain with Broad named as ideal replacement

Joe Root’s captaincy has been scrutinised after England’s dismal Ashes series in Australia saw his team lose 4-0 – and now a former teammate has called for him to go

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Root accepts England need wholesale changes after Ashes defeat

Joe Root has been told to quit as England’s Test captain with Stuart Broad seen as the Yorkshireman’s ideal replacement, according to former England man Nick Compton.

Root led England through an embarrassing 4-0 series loss to arch rivals Australia at this winter’s Ashes series, with the skipper and the rest of England’s hierarchy being held accountable for the showing

As a result, managing director Ashley Giles, head coach Chris Silverwood and assistant Graham Thorpe have all made way this week following the dismal display down under.

And now captain Root has been urged to step down from his role by former opener Compton.

Compton told Sky Sports : “If we are honest, his captaincy hasn’t been good enough.

“There have been situations where he has been behind the eight ball and not on the front foot.

“With Chris Silverwood getting the boot, in some ways you would have more respect for Joe if he resigned.”

Root had his position consolidated by interim managing director Andrew Strauss though , who revealed that the Yorkshireman would lead England in their tour of West Indies next month.

Strauss said: “Having spoken to him [Root], it is absolutely clear the extent of his commitment to taking this England cricket team forward.

“He has got incredible motivation and energy to do that…

“I’m very happy to give him my support, and make sure that we’ve got the right sort of structure around him to take the pressure off him and allow him to do his job on the pitch.”

Do you think it is time for Root to step down as captain? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Compton however has conflicting views to his fellow former opening batter, and thinks it is time for Root to hand the role over to someone else, more specifically pace bowler Broad.

He commented: “I do think it is time for a change and I think someone like Broad, in the short term. He is in the latter stages of his career but is still performing.

“He is a winner and speaks very well on TV and understands the game. If he got the role, he would make sure he turned things around pretty quickly.”

Whilst his captaincy has been questioned nobody can take away the impressive form Root has shown with the bat over the last year, with the skipper performing head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates in recent times.

Therefore, Compton believes now would be the right time for the Englishman to step down as skipper, so he can focus more on his own game and take the stresses of captaincy away.

He added: “No one wants to be in a senior position and have to step down but Joe is a real professional, a great ambassador for English cricket and a very good man.

“It would be difficult for Joe [going back into the ranks] but we need our best players performing day in, day out. We don’t necessarily need Joe worrying about the England captaincy.