Joe Root on England’s progress after a turbulent 2026 summer

England completed a 3-0 Test series victory over Pakistan on September 12, 2026, winning the final match at Edgbaston by eight wickets on day four. Joe Root scored 62 not out and Jordan Cox contributed 59 not out as England chased down a target of 130 to seal the series. Root, who returned to the England Test captaincy after giving it up in 2022 following a five-year stint, guided the side through a summer marked by considerable off-field disruption.

The summer included the retirement of Ben Stokes as England Test captain following a 2-1 series loss to New Zealand, after England had won the first Test of that series. Weeks later, head coach Brendon McCullum was sacked. Root subsequently returned to lead the side, with Marcus Trescothick serving as interim head coach during the Pakistan series. Separately, fast bowler Brydon Carse was filmed being arrested in Derby on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly while part of the Test squad, with Derbyshire Police also investigating an assault connected to the incident. Carse’s involvement or otherwise in the assault remains unclear. Root acknowledged the turbulence surrounding the campaign.

“There’s been a lot of chaos around this series before a ball was bowled. I think the way we’ve handled it on and off the field, the way everyone understands what is expected of them – both as a player and how we want to carry ourselves – is a really good thing. The start of the series we wanted 3-0 and we’ve been clinical enough to do that. It’s been a very unusual summer, hasn’t it? That’s probably a better way of putting it. There’s been a lot of different things happen. We had a resignation mid series, there has been a few off field incidents and we’ve got a new coach,” Root said in his post-match press conference, as quoted by Cricinfo.

“Whether you call it chaos, whether you call it unusual, whether you call it unsettling, all are fair. But ultimately, the thing that I care about, and that’s most important, is what happens from that. And I think the way that we’ve responded to that has been excellent. And the fact that there’s now clarity in what is expected of the group moving forward is quite evident, and we build on that now,” Root further added.

What did the series reveal about England’s bowling and batting?

Ollie Robinson was the standout performer of the three-Test series, taking 21 wickets at an average of 8.76. Bowlers dominated throughout the matches at Headingley, Lord’s and Edgbaston, with none of the 20 fifty-plus scores across the series reaching a century.

England finished the entire summer with just one hundred from six Tests. That came from Ben Duckett, who scored 113 at Trent Bridge against New Zealand, though Duckett managed only 44 runs at an average of 8.8 across five innings after that knock. England’s batting average this summer stood at 24.61, compared to 33.04 during the 2023 Ashes, when England and Australia drew 2-2. Root himself averaged 33.50 with three fifties across the summer, finishing without a century.

What is the next confirmed step for England’s Test set-up?

New Test head coach Stephen Fleming was due to arrive in the United Kingdom within 48 hours of September 12, 2026, taking over fully from Trescothick. Fleming had been in regular contact with Root throughout the Pakistan series, and the pair were scheduled to meet later in the week to discuss future plans. When the question of tailoring pitches to seaming conditions was put to Root, he noted that such an approach would require England’s own batters to adapt as well.

“We’ve seen it in Australia, when I first went there it was all about mental disintegration and lateral movement. Can you be more patient than the opposition and grind teams down? The game evolves and you’ve got to evolve with it,” Root said.

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