Joe Root should stand down as England captain with Stuart Broad taking over, says Nick Compton | Cricket News

Nick Compton on Joe Root: “If we are honest, his captaincy hasn’t been good enough. There have been situations where he has been behind the eight ball and not on the front foot. With Chris Silverwood getting the boot, in some ways you would have more respect for Joe if he resigned”

Nick Compton has backed Stuart Broad (left) to replace Joe Root (right) as England Test captain on a short-term basis

Nick Compton believes Joe Root should stand down as England Test captain and has backed Stuart Broad to take over on a short-term basis.

England head coach Chris Silverwood and managing director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles have left their roles in the aftermath of the 4-0 Ashes thumping in Australia.

Root told reporters shortly after the fifth Test in Hobart – which England lost by 146 runs – that he wished to carry on as skipper, but former England batter Compton says a change is needed.

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Former England batter Mark Butcher assesses possible replacements for Root as England skipper

Root presided over an England-record nine Test defeats in 2021, with his record as captain now standing at 27 wins, 25 defeats and nine draws across 61 games.

Compton told Sky Sports News: “If we are honest, his captaincy hasn’t been good enough.

“There have been a number of situations where he has been behind the eight ball, reactive rather than on the front foot. Elite cricketing people have criticised his captaincy for some time now.

“He has also been selecting the team, along with Silverwood. With Silverwood getting the boot, in some ways you would have more respect for Joe if he resigned.

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Look back on the highs and lows of Chris Silverwood’s time in charge of the England team

“The two have done the job together for a couple of years and it hasn’t worked, so I think Joe might feel a little funny if he stays in the role with his coach and director of cricket going.

“I do think it is time for a change and I think someone like Broad, in the short term. He is in the latter stages of his career but is still performing.

“He is a winner and speaks very well on TV and understands the game. If he got the role, he would make sure he turned things around pretty quickly.”

Broad is England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time, behind only James Anderson

Root was superb with the bat in Test cricket 2021, with his tally of 1,708 runs over 800 more than his nearest challenger, India’s Rohit Sharma, and 1,178 more than the next Englishman, Rory Burns.

Compton says losing the pressures of captaincy could help maintain Root’s form with the bat.

He said: “No one wants to be in a senior position and have to step down but Joe is a real professional, a great ambassador for English cricket and a very good man.

“It would be difficult for Joe [going back into the ranks] but we need our best players performing day in, day out. We don’t necessarily need Joe worrying about England captaincy.

I think Joe is an outstanding player – the amount of runs he scored last year was absolutely exceptional and he was the one shining light from a performance perspective.

Nick Compton on Joe Root

“If England go back to a better and more complete selection committee, he might get a bit more support [as captain] but a conversation with Sir Andrew Strauss will take place and it will be up to Andrew to put together a new leadership group.”

Strauss has taken over Giles’ role on an interim basis and will now select a temporary coach for the three-Test series in the West Indies, which starts in Antigua on March 8. England will name their squad at some point next week.

On the future of ECB chief-executive Tom Harrison, Compton added: “No doubt he is under pressure.

Compton says ECB chief executive Tom Harrison (pictured) is under pressure with England’s Test form having faltered

“He has spent his tenure trying to build white-ball cricket in England and I think he has done that with quite a lot of success. The Hundred has been a bit controversial at times but has also been a good package for the future.

“But red-ball cricket has waned, so he is under pressure. He brought Giles in, so his position will be looked at. Whether he wants to stay in the role or look to exit, I am sure time will tell.”