Fleming | Pakistan

Joe Root was reappointed as England’s Test captain on Thursday, with ex-New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming named as head coach as the team embark on a new era. The announcement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) follows the sacking of Brendon McCullum as Test coach and the shock retirement of former skipper Ben Stokes from international cricket earlier this month. McCullum, who remains in charge of England’s white-ball teams, lost his job after a 2-1 home series loss to New Zealand in June, which followed a disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia. Root will resume his role as skipper in the three-match series with Pakistan starting next month but Fleming is not scheduled to arrive until later in the year. Yorkshireman Root holds the record for captaining England in the most Tests (65) and for the most wins (27). He skippered the team from 2017 to 2022 and took the role on an interim basis at the Oval during the recent series against New Zealand. The 35-year-old is second behind India’s Sachin Tend...