ENG vs NZ 2026: Joe Root admits envy of Ben Stokes ahead of surprise return as captain

England interim captain Joe Root has said he is approaching the Test captaincy on a game-by-game basis, but admitted he has been slightly envious of Ben Stokes for having the opportunity to work alongside head coach Brendon McCullum.

Root, who captained England in a record 64 Test matches, will make a remarkable return to the role for the second Test against New Zealand following Stokes’ involvement in an incident at a London nightclub. The former skipper said he is in a very different place compared to when he stepped down as captain. Since relinquishing the role, Root has focused solely on his batting while playing under the leadership of Stokes and McCullum.

“I have really enjoyed the last couple of days working with Baz in a slightly different space. That is one thing, in a small way, in a good way – I was slightly envious of that opportunity to work with someone like Baz in this sort of capacity. It has been really cool the last couple of days,” said Root as quoted by BBC.

Stokes was left out of England’s squad after breaching the team’s midnight curfew on the night following their victory in the first Test. He was also present during an incident in which a member of England’s security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player. Root revealed that he has spoken to Stokes since last week’s incident but said he preferred to keep the details of their conversations private.

The interim captain insisted that Stokes continues to command the respect of the England dressing room. Reflecting on his unexpected return to the role, Root said he would have rated the chances of becoming England captain again earlier this year at just 0.1%.

“Let’s not look beyond this week. That’s the most important thing, trying to deliver a really good performance this week. It’s quite a young group of players. So, [I want] to offer my experience in that capacity and focus purely on trying to deliver this week,” said Root.

Root was preferred over vice-captain Harry Brook, who was overlooked amid his own off-field controversy in Wellington, where he was involved in an incident at a bar on the eve of a white-ball match last winter. The former England captain will now lead an inexperienced side in the second Test, with Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker among those set to make their Test debuts.

Root has previously revealed that he stepped down from the captaincy because he had developed an unhealthy relationship with the role. However, he admitted that it took only a brief period of consideration before agreeing to return as England’s stand-in captain this time around.

“The only thinking that came to my mind is what is the best thing for this team, and is it going to have a big effect on me and my personal life, and which outweighed the other. We played around 20 Test matches in those Covid environments and watched the rest of the world go back to normality around you,” said Root.

“You are living a very different way to the rest of society. Over time that took its toll on the group but also myself. I found I ended up being so consumed with everything I wasn’t the person I wanted to be and it was the right time to step away, not just because our performances weren’t where they needed to be. It was a great opportunity for a fresh start for English cricket and was absolutely the right decision. It is going to be cool to experience it this side of it, the captaincy side of it with Baz and with this coaching group. I have never had more fun and got more out of a group of coaches than this one,” he added.