Will new England cricket captain Joe Root be successful? Ashes chances rated and more
GETTY England cricket captain Joe Root will hope to maintain his batting form despite the added pressure
Root has limited captaincy experience having been promoted to the England team aged 21. However, his cricketing pedigree is not in question - he has already scored more than 8,000 international runs and scored 19 centuries across all three formats.
But how many more will he manage and how will England manage under his stewardship? How many Ashes series will Joe Root win as captain? (All odds courtesy of 888sport) Cook managed to win two series against Australia as skipper but both came at home and he was also in charge as England were thrashed 5-0 in Australia three years ago. For Root, that challenge comes in his first year as captain.
GETTY Joe Root has had a front row seat to Alastair Cook's captaincy
After just seven Tests - four against South Africa and three against West Indies - the Yorkshire batsman will take England to Australia for a severe examination of their skills over five Tests. The bookies reckon Root will be lucky to win even one series against the Aussies with one victory over his entire tenure coming in at 6/4. Ashes series wins: 1 - 6/4, 2 - 5/2, 3 - 8/1, 4 or more - 20/1
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How many Test matches will Joe Root last and how many will he win as England cricket captain? Cook managed 24 wins from his 59 matches, two short of the record held by Michael Vaughan. According to the bookies, Root is likely to end up with a similar tally: 20-29 wins is 6/4 while failing to reach double figures seems unlikely at 4/1. However, it’s the same price as the 26-year-old becoming the first ever England skipper to take his win-count into the 30s.
GETTY Joe Root has limited experience as a captain but plenty as a vice-captain
His tally in total looks like it will fall around the same mark as Cook, who captained England more than any other player. Under 10 wins 4/1, 10-19 5/2, 20-29 6/4, 30-39 4/1, 40 or more 15/1. Under 30 Tests 5/2, 30-49 tests 2/1, 50-69 tests 6/4, 70 or more tests 8/1.