Darren Gough responds to calls for England to sack Test captain Joe Root

Darren Gough has backed Joe Root to retain the England Test captaincy, insisting he is ‘still the right man for the job’ and the ‘natural leader’ in the dressing room.

A number of former England stars have called on Root to be replaced following his team’s series defeat to West Indies.

The 1-0 loss followed a demoralising 4-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia over the winter, and extended England’s dismal record to just one win in 17 Tests.

Former captains Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton are all of the belief that England should appoint a new skipper but Gough says the paucity of captaincy candidates means Root should continue in the job.

‘If you’re looking at results alone, one win in 17 is not good enough, of course,’ former fast bowler Gough told Reuters.

‘But having been in the England dressing room, I can assure you that he’s so well respected by every single player in that team. He’s the natural captain.

‘If we had someone that was really putting their hands up and saying, “I’m your natural successor”, you could make an argument for a change.

‘But I honestly believe Joe Root is still the right man for the job at this moment in time. I don’t think it’s time for Ben Stokes to take over.

‘Other than that, there’s no one else who you can turn to who could do a different job to Joe Root.’

Vice-captain Stokes and pace bowler Stuart Broad are two of the more realistic contenders to replace Root if England do opt to make a change.

But Stokes is currently struggling with his fitness and has only just returned to form following a lengthy break from the sport.

Broad, meanwhile, was omitted from England’s last Test squad, along with record wicket-taker James Anderson, much to the surprise of Gough.

The selection decision did not pay off for England – who were held to two draws by West Indies before losing the decider in Grenada by 10 wickets – and Gough insists he would alternate Anderson and Broad for away tours rather than cast them both aside.

‘That would have been my plan, I’d have always one of them there all the time,’ the 51-year-old Yorkshireman added.

‘I believe one of them will come back in, I don’t think both will come back. I’ve no idea which one, that’s a very hard pick because both are still unbelievable cricketers.’

England face New Zealand in a two-match Test series in June, with Lord’s hosting the opener and Trent Bridge hosting the second match.

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