By Scyld Berry
It was not what Joe Root said that was so impressive when he was enthroned as England's new Test captain on a grey afternoon at Headingley, but the clarity with which he said it.
Clarity of diction stems from clarity of vision and thought. Alastair Cook was always diplomatic, and even statesmanlike when talking about issues affecting the global game, such as the return of Pakistan's banned bowler Mohammad Amir. But he never fully articulated a vision of how England should play, the pragmatism petering out into what Cook himself called stagnation.
Saying all the right things: Joe Root.Credit: Getty Images
Root, on the other hand, was highly articulate during one-and-a-half hours of interviews, while England and Wales Cricket Board apparatchiks watched on to make sure their new leader has a safe pair of hands. Root even managed the odd jest when he said he was changing the nappy of his newborn son, Alfie, when Andrew Strauss rang to offer him the Test captaincy, adding to Nasser Hussain on Sky that he knew his hands were full by the end of the call.
All the best England captains have had this clarity. Half have been Yorkshiremen, the rest south-easterners of amateur background if not status, but they have been united in combining this vision and fixity of purpose - and Root promises to be similar. When Strauss, the England team director, interviewed Root, he said he was most impressed by Root's opinions on how he wanted England to play and improve.
As he has had no chance to talk with his players, Root would have been indiscreet if he had announced what his style would be, beyond "very instinctive and natural". But he went some way to articulating his vision. "I'm very lucky to have inherited an exciting team with a great blend of experience, raw talent and a core group of players who have played 20 to 30 games and are ready to take some more responsibility and become a really tough side to play against.
"I'd like to be a captain that wins, tough to play against, and like to hope we'll play cricket that is enjoyable to watch. That is something that excites me. It should be entertaining Test cricket and that's something I want to get across to the team and the people watching."
Mixed feelings on taking over: that is always a safe one. It shows you are not gloating at the passing of your predecessor. In fact, Root added, Cook had sent him "a lovely text". As for his future relationship with Cook, Root said he would listen to Cook's advice but act as his own man, which is good: England need vigour instead of that lassitude which started to descend during the series against Sri Lanka last spring and culminated in the loss of six of Cook's last eight Tests.
"On the field, he'll be extremely helpful," Root said. "I think he'll let me go about it and do things my way but he'll be there to offer help and advice if need be. I think he'll be a very good fit and natural leader as a senior player within the team.".
Strauss offered Root time to consider the offer of the Test captaincy, but Root accepted mid-nappy. "It was a no-brainer," he said. Root has captained in a handful of first-class matches, but long before he became Cook's vice-captain in 2015 he had formed the habit of debating with himself what he would do next in the field if he were captain.
Root's relationship with the head coach Trevor Bayliss is bound to be more creative than Bayliss's was with Cook last year. In the Ashes of 2015, when the pitches for the Edgbaston and Trent Bridge Tests were spiced up and England's pace bowlers swung the ball to multiple slips, Cook and Bayliss were on the same page. Cook's tendency thereafter to back off was the antithesis of the Australian style.
Root would not even say where he will bat - has to have discussions with the coaches etc - but No.4 is a virtual certainty, the same place as India's captain Virat Kohli, and Australia's Steve Smith, after he had demoted himself from three, while the fourth of this captaining quartet - Kane Williamson - has struggled as New Zealand's No.3.
At four Root can use his priceless ability to read a match situation, and to decide how risky his shots should be, as he did when rallying England with his superlative century on the opening day of the last Ashes series at Cardiff, instead of feeling bound to dictate at No.3.
The pattern established by the long-term England captains since Graham Gooch - Michael Atherton, Hussain, Michael Vaughan, Strauss and Cook - has been for an initial spike in run-production, when the new captain is energised, followed by steady decline as pressures mount and enjoyment ebbs.
To prolong his Test captaincy, and nurse his back, Root should give up T20 - starting with the three games against South Africa after the Champions Trophy. Naturally Root is keen on all three formats, but admits he will have to listen to advice.
Root's only real weakness has been his failure to convert half-centuries into centuries, but he told Sky that, in future, he would "suck it up" when he got to 70 or 80 and "come down a gear" instead of rushing towards three figures. The extra responsibility - of captaincy and fatherhood - should have that beneficial effect.
Above all, Root looks to have the most important quality of any captain, luck. For he will have, in Cook, England's record-breaking batsman back doing what he does best.
The Telegraph, London