Cricket News: Joe Root should consider retirement 

Joe Root's 27 victories in 64 Tests make him the England Test skipper with the most wins in their storied cricketing history. But, as time passes, the inevitable questions about when he plans to call it a day keep coming up. 

It is also worth noting Root himself admitted that he was adversely affected towards the end of his time as skipper. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I love everything about this team! What a series! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🦁 <a href="https://t.co/9E8VCplIVe">pic.twitter.com/9E8VCplIVe</a></p>&mdash; Joe Root (@root66) <a href="https://twitter.com/root66/status/1605173382491869184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I was there but there were times when I was thinking about something I couldn’t control or something that hadn’t happened previously,” he told the Daily Mail. 

“You go in on yourself. We would still do what we typically do as a family, but I would not listen. I just felt like a bit of a zombie almost."

“I could see it was frustrating the kids because I wasn’t correctly playing with them or talking to Carrie, and I would zone out."

“It was a very difficult decision because it is such a fantastic role to get the honour to do and I loved doing it.”

It’s also worth noting that Root has already accomplished much in the game. So, is it right for Root to consider stepping away from the competition? Not really. 

He remains one of England’s best Test batsmen, even if, on paper, his style seems to be the antithesis of the 'Bazball' era spearheaded by Brendon McCullum. 

Yes, there is plenty of talent in the squad, but he is still the player around whom that batting unit revolves. When Root plays well, the whole team does well. 

Moreover, not having the captaincy has liberated him from the burden of leading the team and being their top run-scorer; now, the focus is solely on the former. 

There’s also the fact that Root feels like he can explore the white ball game a lot more now that he doesn’t have t shoulder the leadership role in Test cricket. 

“I have no thoughts or feelings of retirement, slowing down, or playing fewer formats. If anything, I feel a little bit more freedom with my time,” he told the Daily Mail. 

“I always used to get rested for the T20s, and I feel alienated from the format because I had not played enough of it."

“The next couple of years might be a good time to explore playing a little bit more of that format and see how far I can take that side of my game.” 

To that end, he has registered himself for the Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) auction. Whether or not any team picks him is irrelevant; the fact he is putting his name out there says a lot. 

Plus, there’s also the fact that he still probably feels like he has a lot to give in Test cricket – so retirement seems unlikely in the short term.