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England's search for a new white-ball captain continues as Joe Root has publicly stated his disinterest in taking on the leadership role. Root said that he feels his time as captain has passed and voiced his confidence that whoever is ultimately chosen will do an excellent job leading the team in the format.
Joe Root isn't interested to become England's white-ball captain
The need for a new captain arose after Jos Buttler stepped down from the position following England's disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament saw the English side exit in the group stage without securing a single win. Buttler's captaincy had already faced scrutiny after a challenging period for England following their ICC T20 World Cup victory in 2022. The team subsequently struggled in the white-ball format, failing to win both bilateral series and major tournaments.
Jos Buttler's tenure as captain also coincided with a disappointing World Cup campaign in 2023. England's performance throughout the tournament was below par, ultimately leading to their failure to qualify for the semi-finals. There were expectations for a strong showing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but the team unfortunately did not meet those expectations either.
With the captaincy vacant, Joe Root has now declared himself unavailable for the role, while expressing optimism for the individual who will ultimately be appointed. He acknowledged that England's performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was not up to standard but emphasized the abundance of talent within the team.
"I don't think so. I think that ship sailed. I think I've done my time as a captain in an English ship. But I'm sure whoever gets the opportunity to do it will be extremely proud and will do a brilliant job. It's disappointing. We definitely didn't play anywhere near what we're capable of," he stated while speaking to Sky Sports.
"The talent and the ability within that group in terms of results was below some part. But like I said, there's so much talent and there's so much more to come from that team. You know, you look at Brendon coming in, he's had two months before the tournament to try and put across his ideas, his views," he added.
Root further commented that the appointment of a new captain presents a significant opportunity for the team to reset their approach and progress forward. He expressed a desire to recapture the successful period the team experienced between 2015 and 2019, elaborating on this by saying:
"And there's going to be a new captain coming in. So it's sort of a new combination. I think it's a really good opportunity to reset and to move forward again as a group and get back to the heights that we know we're capable of and where we were in and around that 15 to 2019 phase," Root concluded.
Looking ahead to who might take the reins, Harry Brook, who currently serves as the vice-captain for England in the white-ball formats, is considered a leading candidate for the ODI captaincy. Moreover, the name of Ben Stokes has also been mentioned as a potential contender for the role.
