'I will not waste my energy on it' - Joe Root brushes aside 'distracting' captaincy talks ahead of 4th Ashes Test

The England cricket team has been pummeled by the Australian side in The Ashes series. England have been beaten comprehensively in the first 3 Test matches, and have already surrendered the series with 2 matches still left to be played.

And, ahead of the 4th Test match at Sydney, the skipper of the England Test side, Joe Root said that the calls to sack him as captain have not distracted him.

Adding that he will not waste his energy by thinking about such matters, Root revealed that he will give his best in the remaining 2 Ashes Test matches.

“At the end of the day…I don’t think as a distraction that should be around the group or I should be wasting energy on right now. I need to make sure to throw everything I can into these two games. I think I owe that to this team and to the players and give us the best chance of getting the results that we desire,” said Joe Root as quoted by India Today.

Joe Root is someone I always want to play for: Ben Stokes

There have also been opinions floating around that Ben Stokes should replace Joe Root as the England Test skipper. And, Stokes revealed that he has never really wanted to be the captain of the England Test side. Adding that captaincy involves taking decisions in the middle, Stokes concluded by stating that he will always be willing to play under Joe Root.

“I’ve never really had an ambition to be a captain. Captaincy is more than about setting fields, picking the team, making decisions out there in the middle. A captain is someone you want to go out and play for. Joe Root is someone I always want to play for,” concluded Ben Stokes.