‘That ship has sailed’ – Root rules out ODI captaincy

Joe Root claims that his appointment as England’s next limited-overs captain has “sailed” the “ship has sailed”

After Jos Buttler left after their early exit at the Champions Trophy, England are looking for a new captain for the one-day and T20 sides.

Root, 34, has never been a white-ball international leader, but he still leads England’s 50-over batsmen in a white-ball international. He captained the Test team from 2017 to 2022.

“I’ve done my time as a captain in an England shirt, but I’m confident that anyone who gets the chance will be very proud and do a fantastic job,” Root said to Sky Sports.

After serving for two and a half years, Buttler resigned, but there hasn’t been much public interest in finding a replacement.

England will not rush the decision, according to managing director Rob Key, who stated that there are other options available to include Ben Stokes combining the duties of Test skipper and his own.

Coach Brendon McCullum has not ruled out naming separate 50-over and T20 captains. Given that Root is not currently playing for England’s cricket team in the shortest format, that could have allowed him to captain for 50 overs together with a different T20 skipper.

Although he was Buttler’s vice-captain, Batter Harry Brook is a key player in all three formats, he is still a strong choice.

To manage his schedule, he canceled the Indian Premier League that is currently in play.

Additionally, Key and McCullum will think about appointing a former national team’s successful captain, with Sam Billings, who earlier told BBC Sport, saying he would “jump” at the chance.

England have won three disappointing World Cup appearances, which led to Buttler’s resignation, after winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the T20 title in 2022.

Root described their winless group-stage exit as disappointing.

We performed poorly against what we were capable of. That team has a lot of talent and a lot more to offer.