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Sir Andrew Strauss has confirmed that Joe Root will continue as captain of the England men’s Test team for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.
Strauss, addressing the media for the first time in his new role as the interim managing director of England men’s cricket, said Root’s commitment as captain of the Test team was “absolutely clear”, despite a hugely difficult winter which saw his side beaten 4-0 in The Ashes series in Australia.
Head coach Chris Silverwood and former managing director Ashley Giles were both sacked this week, while it has also been confirmed that Graham Thorpe has left his position as assistant coach.
Strauss stressed that his appointment was purely on an ‘interim’ basis, saying: “my role is to prepare the team for the West Indies series and potentially recommend some structural changes to the England cricket department. However long that takes, I’m willing to play that role.”
Strauss said: “It goes without saying it has been a particularly bruising period for the England Test team in particular over the last few months. No one likes to see English cricket in the headlines in the way it has been recently.”
“When Tom [Harrison] asked me to step in on an interim basis, anyone who has a passion for English cricket wants to play their role and I’m very happy to do so.
He added: “I don’t pretend to have all of the answers to all of the potential issues in English cricket at the moment but, obviously, I’ll be working hard to try and navigate our way through that.”