Former Test spinner Monty Panesar thinks the Success against Australia at The Oval of England may have rescued Joe Root.
England captain Root chose the catch to dismiss final man Josh Hazlewood and clinch a 135-run victory in the fifth and final Test, ensuring that his side attracted the series 2-2.
However, Panesar – who played 50 Tests between 2013 and 2006 – believes if Australia had was able to condemn their hosts to a series defeat Root might have dropped the captaincy.
“I feel this week has saved him,” Panesar told Sky Sports News. “If Australia had won 3-1,” I think that the ECB would have been having that polite talk with him and they’d potentially ask him to resign.
“He has been well, but is it good for the group that he captains England in addition to batting? I believe since the show has gone on his kind has slightly deteriorated.
“However he turned around this week – he dug in deep and was able to reveal he wants to be the individual to lead England. The winter tours are currently going to be huge for him.
“He needs to do well against New Zealand and South Africa and if he is really determined to lead Englandhe wants to demonstrate the type of cricket we have seen this week at The Oval.
“He’s obviously still very passionate and he wants to take that challenge on. We’ll see over the wintertime if he is in a position to maintain his form as we know Joe Root captain and can the team.
“I’m sure over the next six months that the ECB will evaluate how he plays as a captain and also a batsman and they’ll make a choice.”
Root, who triumphed Alastair Cook at February 2017 as Test captain, was third at the England batting averages scoring 325 runs in 10 innings.
The series was a swansong for England head coach Trevor Bayliss, who had declared his departure prior to a summer in which the men’s team won their first World Cup.
Panesar would prefer to see them keep expert coaches functioning under an supremo’s structure, although the ECB have yet to name a successor to the Australian.
“I believe they need to have one head coach and the assistants,” he added. “Ideally I would like them to become English coaches because the ECB have invested heavily in their coaching programmes and it is nice to find that a stepping stone to the national group.
“The likes of Paul Collingwood and Marcus Trescothick are included in the England set-up over the summertime, Chris Silverwood is an excellent quick bowling coach and they’ve also got Saqlain Mushtaq.
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