Bayliss backs Root to be a positive leader

England

England coach Trevor Bayliss has backed Joe Root to bring a positive energy to his captaincy, just as he has done with his batting.

The 26-year-old Root, who has taken over the Test captaincy from Alastair Cook, will be in charge for the first time when England take on South Africa at Lord’s on 6 July.

And Bayliss believes the Yorkshireman, who is one of the leading batsman in the world, will take on the leadership role with an attacking intent when the four-match series against the Proteas gets underway.

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Bayliss, an Australian, also said he would leave Root in charge of the side and not interfere to much.

Speaking on Thursday, Bayliss said: “Certainly the way Rooty goes about his cricket, he’s nice and positive the way he bats, I suspect the way he will captain the team will be similar.

“We’ve had a few short chats over the last month or so, about the way Rooty wants to attack the game. I suspect we will go a bit deeper into the South African side over the next couple of days.

“My way of operating is the captain’s the one in charge. It’s a bit old-school, but that’s what I believe. They are the ones playing the game. They are the ones who’ve got to have a say in how the game moves forward.”

Bayliss added: “To all the captains who’ve captained England since I’ve been here, I’ll give them 100 percent backing, if they have got a good argument for what they want do, whether it’s selection, field placement, bowling changes.

“If they haven’t got a good argument for something, that’s where I might come up with a few ideas myself.”

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