Joe Root could be done and dusted as England captain after appearing ‘frazzled’ on arguably his worst day of a horror winter.
That is the verdict of his mentor and former England skipper Michael Vaughan who fears his time is finally up after five years in charge and just one win in 17. Root was already raging at his bowlers’ inability to capture the final two Windies wickets quickly enough with a second new ball - knowing full well that he was partly to blame for their eventual 297 all out.
The great gamble of leaving the two best bowlers in the land at home has so far failed to pay off and instead heaped yet more pressure on to his shoulders. And when he had the chance to make amends with the bat and dig his team out of a 93 run deficit sized hole, he capitulated again to the medium pace of Kyle Mayers.
Departing for just five, the England captain had overseen a rabble in the field and batted like a rabbit in the middle and Vaughan reckons it could spell the end. “Joe Root is frazzled,” said BT Sport pundit Vaughan. “I think you can tell that from both dismissals - today's was a tired shot.
“I fear this could be his last Test as captain. You can see in his face that this could be the end for him. Let's face it too - he's won one of his last 17 Tests. That's not a great ratio.” From the ease with which Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales were able to add 120 for the last two wickets alongside the brilliant century maker Joshua da Silva, to his waft at a wide one from Mayers, Root’s decision-making has been found wanting.
And the biggest concern is that it is part of a trend. Whether it is selection, reading conditions or even using the decision review system mistakes are continually being made. A captain can only do so much of course. The quality of cricketers at your disposal is key, but his batters appear only to thrive on the flattest of pitches.
And his bowling attack at the moment is a shadow of its former self with no express pace, no variation, reduced skill levels, and a spinner learning how to bowl on pitches that don’t turn extravagantly. Perhaps it was no wonder that da Silva was able to milk England’s bowlers on day three as he grabbed his maiden Test hundred in front of a raucous local crowd.
He had put in all the hard work the day before and continued to reap his rewards alongside his Trinidadian club mate and No.11 Seales who was there for the special moment. “Jayden told me he has my back,” said a delighted da Silva. “And I backed him 100 percent.
“He told me he is going to get me there and he did so I can’t thank him enough for the role he played. Tears just came to my eyes instantaneously. It means the whole world to me.”
While da Silva cashed in on his day two efforts, Root was left to wonder what might have been had he not wasted all three reviews on Friday when an lbw shout was turned down and would have been out with the score 245-9. And when it came to batting, Zak Crawley and Root played fast and loose while Dan Lawrence and Ben Stokes were muddled in their leaves as Mayers ran riot once more.
