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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dean Wilson

Paul Collingwood gives Joe Root England captaincy verdict as he makes 'hunger' claim

Joe Root has been backed to continue leading England for "many years" after unifying his side in the wake of Ashes defeat.

Root and his team were pushing for a first win of the winter against West Indies at the start of this red ball reset, and interim head coach Paul Collingwood reckons that needs to be the benchmark for performances moving forward.

And it was the way Root has brought his side together over the first few weeks in the Caribbean, that has impressed Collingwood the most.

After five years in charge of the Test team, Root could be forgiven if he were running low on energy, but far from slipping away quietly, he has been given a new lease of life and a 24th ton was the perfect way to prove it.

"You can sense that he’s got everybody behind him,” said Collingwood. “There’s a real unity. We’ve got a direction and we’ve got clarity.

HAVE YOUR SAY! How long should Root stay on as Test captain? Let us know in the comments section.

Joe Root scored his 24th Test hundred for England on day five of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua (RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)

“He’s playing with a smile on his face and hopefully he can keep putting in performances like he has in this Test match.

“You really sense a unity in the side and that's a positive thing and it will bring us good results.

“He loves the job, loves playing for England, and he loves leading. As long as the hunger is still there, he’s earned the right to keep doing that.

“I really believe he can turn this team around and I’m sure Joe would love to be captain for many years.”

Root though wasn’t given a free elsewhere with former England bowler Steve Harmison looking for him to be stronger with Ben Stokes in the field.

Stokes bowled 41 overs across the Test match, his fourth highest tally in a game ever, despite returning from a side injury.

There were moments of mild concern when Stokes pulled out of a delivery and winced, or when he called on the physio and was seen stretching the side.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes bowled more overs than anticipated in the first Test against West Indies because of an injury to Mark Wood (Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

And Harmison was left raging that with 12 overs to go in what looked like an obvious draw Stokes wasn’t saved from himself as he demanded to bowl another four over spell.

“It’s madness,” said Harmison commentating for BT Sport. “Why is Ben still bowling, why is Joe Root allowing him to keep bowling at this stage?

“I just can’t understand why you would want to bowl him so much on this pitch.”

After the match Root admitted: “We were trying to win a Test match and trying to tell Ben Stokes not to bowl was very difficult.

“He’s probably bowled a bit more than we anticipated but he has stood up to it very well.”

Root looked every inch a captain in charge of things on the final day, but perhaps this is one area where he still can improve.

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