England vs Australia: Joe Root finds nothing wrong with aggressive tactics despite England’s loss in 1st Ashes Test | Cricket News – Times of India

Joe Root, the former England captain, has expressed his support for the team’s aggressive approach in their first Test defeat against Australia.
Root, who was part of the England side that lost by two wickets in a thrilling conclusion to the opening Ashes Test in Birmingham, admitted that he wished he had adopted Ben Stokes‘ game-plan from the start of his own captaincy reign.
England’s commitment to the attacking principles of ‘Bazball‘ faced criticism from some quarters, particularly after Stokes declared on the first day of the match. However, Root emphasized that the England players remain fully supportive of Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.Root, now echoing the sentiments of his teammates, stated that the only thing he would change if given the chance would be to bring a similar aggressive style during his tenure as captain. Having led England in a record 64 Tests over five and a half years, Root stepped down in April after a challenging period that saw the team register only one win in 17 matches.
Asked if England would like to reverse their decision to make the fastest declaration in Ashes history, Root said: “That’s not what we’re about as a team. If I could go back in time, I’d go back and start my captaincy tenure the way Ben has and try to play in a similar manner to how he does it.
“It’s far more exciting, far more interesting and I think we are getting more out of our team and our individuals. We’re playing better cricket to watch and producing better results overall.”

The all-guns-blazing style adopted by England has had a revitalizing effect on the team’s form, particularly after a difficult period prior to the arrival of head coach Brendon McCullum.
Root emphasized that England will not shy away from their aggressive principles but instead will be even more committed to putting pressure on Australia in the upcoming second Test at Lord’s.
Root believes that the team’s attacking approach has yielded positive results and intends to build upon that momentum.

“A lot of times that would peter out to a draw. The wicket we had was very slow, it could have made for a long, mundane game, but the way we went about it we gave ourselves a great opportunity to win the Test match,” Root said.
“If are going to grow as a team we can’t just look at a couple of moments going against us and say ‘we need to do things differently’.
“If anything we need to double down on how we do it, completely back ourselves and make sure we get those one percents right at Lord’s.
“We feel like we’ve ran the game for five days and we might be on the wrong end of it but there’s still so much more to come in that dressing room. It’s a great spot to be in.”

(AI image)