England appoint Root and Fleming as Test cricket captain and coach

England have appointed Joe Root as Test cricket captain and Stephen Fleming as head coach, following the retirement of Ben Stokes and the departure of Brendon McCullum. Root, 35, previously captained England in a record 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022, winning 27 of them, and is the side's all-time leading Test run scorer. He will lead England in a three-Test home series against Pakistan beginning on August 19, 2026.