Star England batter Joe Root has thrown his weight behind the Ben Stokes–Brendon McCullum leadership group despite England falling short in the ongoing Ashes series in Australia. With England trailing 1–3 in the five-match contest and one Test remaining, the visitors’ hopes of ending their long-standing Ashes drought Down Under have once again faded.

Joe Root backs Stokes–McCullum leadership

England arrived in Australia armed with a refreshed and aggressive batting philosophy under Stokes and McCullum, and while they managed to win a Test in Australia for the first time in nearly 15 years, the series slipped away. Nonetheless, Root insisted that the team has made significant progress under the current management and deserves continued backing.

“In terms of the playing group, we’re absolutely committed to the management. They’ve been outstanding,” Root told the BBC. “If you look at the players now compared to when I was captain four years ago, every single one of them has improved individually. This team has improved collectively, so it would be silly to undo the amount of hard work that’s gone in.”

Root acknowledged that there remain areas for improvement but stressed that the management’s approach, though different from traditional English methods, has delivered tangible growth.

“Yes, we can be better and there are things we’ll keep working on,” he said. “But the management works extremely hard. It might look different to what we’re used to, but we’ve made great strides as a group, and a big reason for that is the people behind us.”

The former captain admitted his disappointment at losing yet another Ashes series in Australia his fourth but highlighted the importance of England’s lone Test win in the country, their first since 2011.

“Losing a series is always disappointing. You never come here wanting to lose another Ashes,” Root added. “Sometimes you get outplayed, you make mistakes, and good teams punish you. What mattered was how we responded, and when we had opportunities, we took them.”

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