Former England captain Nasser Hussain praised Joe Root for scrapping the team curfew, calling the move a sign of maturity, but he also warned that the new skipper sometimes seems to lack the intuitive grasp of the game that his predecessor Ben Stokes possessed. Root, who has now led England in a record 65 Tests, most recently faced defeat in the second match of the New Zealand series earlier this summer. That loss came after Stokes and fast‑bowler Gus Atkinson were suspended for breaking a curfew that had been introduced in the wake of the 4‑1 Ashes loss in the winter. During the latest Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, aired live on Sky Sports ahead of the three‑Test series against Pakistan, Hussain described Root’s decision to eliminate the curfew as "a grown‑up decision".
He argued that imposing a curfew signals a loss of control over the squad and inevitably leads to breaches. "If you have a curfew you’ve already lost the respect of the players," Hussain said. "Treat them like adults – if they misbehave, fine them first and, if necessary, leave them out. A professional side shouldn’t need a curfew; the fact that one was ever considered shows how badly the environment had deteriorated." Hussain added, "I’m really pleased that Joe has said ‘no, enough of that nonsense’." The immediate challenge for Root is to revive an England side that has lost eight of its last thirteen Tests, a slump that began after the 2‑1 series defeat to New Zealand that marked the end of the Bazball era and coincided with Ben Stokes’s retirement from international cricket.
Root’s first permanent stint as England captain also ended in a barren spell – only one win in his final seventeen Tests before he stepped down in 2022. Hussain reflected on a recent match at The Oval, saying, "He was given the biggest of hospital passes for the second Test against New Zealand – that was very recent, not four years ago – and it reminded me of some of the memories of Joe as a captain. For a player of his calibre, who usually has a great feel for the tempo of a game, he seemed to lose that feel in that particular match." He went on to compare Root’s approach with Stokes’s, noting that Root appeared to be trying to emulate Stokes too closely: "He was almost trying to be a bit too Ben Stokes‑ish, putting men on the drive on a bouncy Oval pitch where the ball was staying low.
He doesn’t quite have the feel of the game that Stokes had, and that intuition is what I admired in Stokes’s captaincy." Hussain also mentioned Harry Brook as a possible alternative, saying, "I see a real feel for the game in Harry when he plays white‑ball cricket. He has an aura about him, but I understand the scheduling constraints and the need to balance responsibilities across formats." Brook, despite serving as England’s white‑ball vice‑captain, was passed over for the Test role in that second New Zealand match. Some observers suggest the selectors were reluctant to overload the 27‑year‑old with the permanent Test job, especially after his off‑field incident involving a nightclub bouncer before an ODI last winter, which attracted heavy criticism.
Former England captain Michael Atherton, who recently sat down with Root, asked him whether his decision to stay on was driven by duty or genuine desire. Atherton summed up the situation: "There really isn’t anyone else at the moment. If they don’t want Harry Brook to take on the three‑format burden, who else is left? I sense that Joe is genuinely excited about the opportunity.
He feels he has some ammunition in his fast‑bowling attack and he’s trying to strike a balance between loyalty to what has come before and putting his own stamp on the side." Root has spoken highly of former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, crediting him as a valuable mentor for both his own batting and the team as a whole, even though that partnership ended on a sour note. "He’s careful not to discard everything that worked under Bazball," Atherton noted.
"He wants to keep the effective parts while adding his own ideas, and he’s made it clear he won’t impose a rigid, pre‑determined style on the squad." In the squad for the upcoming series, Essex all‑rounder Jordan Cox will slot into the No 3 position for the first two Tests, replacing the injured Jacob Bethell. Cox previously appeared at No 6 in the second Test loss to New Zealand at The Oval, where he contributed 27 and 25 in his two innings. He has spent the last few weeks alongside Root at Welsh Fire in The Hundred, giving him a chance to observe the captain up close.
Cox said, "I’ve been with Joe for about three and a half weeks in The Hundred and we’ve gotten along really well. It’s been great to get to know him on a different level – batting together in the nets, talking cricket and life. Test cricket is the pinnacle, and after The Hundred finished last night we have a few more days to prepare for a big Test match." The three‑Test series against Pakistan kicks off on August 19 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket.
Fans can also stream the matches and other sports without a contract via NOW. Root’s decision to drop the curfew may signal a shift toward greater player autonomy, but the real test will be whether his leadership can translate into consistent performances on the field, especially as England seeks to halt its recent slide and rediscover the winning instinct that once made them a dominant force in world cricket.