England's Joe Root is ready to embrace his second stint as Test captain, saying he is in a "very different place" to when he stepped down from the role four years ago. I couldn't leave it at the ground any more, it was coming home," Root said in June 2022. Root has sparkled since relinquishing the captaincy, averaging over 54 since June 2022 compared to an average of 46.44 in the five years prior and scoring 16 of his 41 Test centuries. Sheffield-born Root, 35, will begin his second stint as full-time captain against Pakistan at Headingley on 19 August, with Fleming joining up with the team ahead of December's tour of South Africa. "I'm in a very different place to the last time I did it with a team in a very different position."