Michael Atherton
Cricket Expert & Columnist
Joe Root and England Test team need to take responsibility for poor performances, says Michael Atherton
England have appointed Paul Collingwood as interim head coach of the men's Test team ahead of their three-match tour of the West Indies in March; Joe Root will captain the side
Last Updated: 08/02/22 4:51pm
Michael Atherton says Joe Root and his England team need to take responsibility for their poor performances over the winter in losing the Ashes series 4-0 in Australia.
Managing director of England men's cricket, Ashley Giles, and head coach Chris Silverwood both lost their jobs last week, with Sir Andrew Strauss replacing Giles on an interim basis and Paul Collingwood announced on Monday as coach for the upcoming three-Test tour of the West Indies.
Strauss gave Root his backing to continue as captain of the Test team for the series in the Caribbean, and while Athers agrees its "probably the right thing" to stick with him as skipper for now, he said the "focus has to come back on the players and the captain."
On Root keeping the captaincy, Athers said: "It's a short-term appointment as such because Strauss made it clear, he's right behind Joe Root for now, but that appointment is very much in the hands of whoever the director of cricket will be.
"It's probably the right thing to stick with him for now. I do think the focus has to come back on the players and the captain.
"There's been a lot of talk about the coaches over the last few weeks, but captain and the players need to take responsibility for performance.
"Joe Root has been party to many of those decisions that have cost other people their jobs, and it's really only a lack of alternatives that has determined that he continues to lead England in the Caribbean.
"Whether that will be the case beyond the tour, who knows? We'll have to wait and see."
Atherton added: "I think there had to be some changes to the management of the team.
"As painful as it is, I think they had to make some changes given how the team have performed for the last year or so and given the way the Ashes went."
