Leeds, Aug 22 (IANS) Interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has praised Joe Root’s ‘calming influence’ following his winning return as England Test captain, adding that it has brought a pragmatic shift in tactical approach after a tumultuous phase for the national side.
Root’s second stint as England’s Test skipper got off to a commanding start with a victory over Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley. The result comes at a time when England are recovering from a heavy Ashes defeat in Australia, off-field issues, the sudden retirement of Ben Stokes, and the subsequent sacking of head coach Brendon McCullum.
“We tried to take the best bits of what we did, but we’re not Brendon and Ben. We’re very much the style of what we want to do. (Stokes and Root) talk differently, they speak in a different way in terms of their style of approaches.
“You saw some things with Joe which were really exciting and really calming at the same time because it needed that influence on it at the moment. Maybe be a little bit more simple with some of the plans, a bit more clear direction of going ‘this is how we want to bowl’ and how he manages the individuals behind the scenes also,” Trescothick told reporters at the conclusion of the game.
England dominated the contest across two and a half rain-affected days, right from taking a wicket on the first ball of the Test and maintaining a scoring rate of 4.55 runs per over through a noticeably more measured template.
“We played to the fashion that we wanted to. We wanted to be able to be clever and smart. There’s moments within the game we’ve done that brilliantly. We still have that mantra of applying pressure because that’s the best way of being dominant over teams, if you can put them under pressure. I did enjoy the fact we were still scoring quite quickly especially when the ball was new,” added Trescothick.
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has been appointed as McCullum’s successor but will only take charge ahead of the winter tour of South Africa, leaving Trescothick in interim charge. Trescothick, who was assistant coach to McCullum, revealed that Fleming was in regular contact with him and Root throughout the Headingley Test.
“He was adamant that me and Joe take it on and just run with what we feel is right, to try and get the group back in shape, with a few pointers on what he wanted and how he could see his style being implemented within the group.
With Fleming approaching former Australia batter Mike Hussey for a coaching role, Trescothick’s exact position in the red-ball setup remains to be finalized. For now, he expressed a desire to continue in the team.
“I want to be involved in all formats of the game because it’s a wonderful place to be,” Trescothick said. “Working with the best and seeing England cricketers do well. That’s not really for me to judge so I’ll wait and see what happens.”
–IANS
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