Weeks after Joe Root stepped down as the England Test captain, his teammate Mark Wood paid a tribute to the former skipper. Sharing his experience of playing under the 31-year-old, who is also one of the most successful England Test skipper, Wood admitted that the players “let him down” and in a lengthy description also explained how Root used to assist the players and work extensively behind the scenes to get the desired results.
Root had led England in the most number of Tests as a captain and had secured 27 wins before a string of losses, which started when the Three Lions traveled to India in early 2021, led to his downfall. The 31-year-old, who ranks four among the batters in the traditional format of the game, eventually stepped down from the position following the series loss against West Indies in March.
Sharing his thoughts on his podcast ‘Middle Please, Umpire‘, Wood said: “I do feel sorry for Joe. I think it’s worth saying that.
“I actually did really well under Joe’s captaincy myself. He gave me an opportunity, even with injury, he could have quite easily have said, ‘no, that’s enough’. But he’s stuck with me and gave me a clear plan.
“I felt like we let him down quite a bit. He was doing so much behind the scenes that people don’t see.
“You know, getting coaches trying to change training. He was staying behind when I was batting the net.
“He would stay behind and work on batting with me after his net. He was doing so much with trying to get it right, the culture of the team, he was getting people in to do sessions and he did everything he could to try and improve the results but it just wasn’t happening.
Wood, however, expressed happiness over Root’s decision to step down from the position.
“But I’m happy he’s made the decision. If it’s affecting him as a person behind the scenes at home or with his family, then that’s no good.
“I didn’t want that to happen to him. I really did believe he would turn it around but it’s exciting now having Stokes — I think he will do a great job,” the pacer added.
Wood made 17 Test appearances under Root’s captaincy, in which he scalped 55 wickets at an average of 29.94.
Ben Stokes has taken over the captaincy duties from Root in the longer format of the game.
