Joe Root's remarkable batting achievements continued at The Oval, but England's crushing 253-run defeat to New Zealand also saw the former captain add another unwanted entry to his record book. Having recently crossed 14,000 Test runs and become the first batter to score 2,000 Test runs against New Zealand, Root now finds himself level with former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming for the second-most defeats as a Test skipper.
Root's captaincy record under scrutiny
England's loss at The Oval was the 27th defeat of Root's captaincy career, leaving him behind only South Africa's Graeme Smith, who suffered 29 losses. However, the numbers become even more striking when viewed through the lens of loss percentage. Root reached 27 defeats in just 66 Tests as captain, giving him a loss rate of 40.91 per cent. Fleming's 27 losses came across 80 Tests at a loss percentage of 33.75 per cent, while Smith captained South Africa in 109 Tests and finished with a much lower loss rate of 26.61 per cent despite holding the record for the most defeats.
Most matches lost as Test captain
The list of most defeats as Test captain shows Root tied with Fleming at 27 losses, but with a significantly higher loss percentage. Graeme Smith leads with 29 losses in 109 Tests (26.61%), followed by Fleming and Root with 27 each. Brian Lara (26 losses in 47 Tests, 55.32%), Allan Border (22 in 93, 23.66%), Kraigg Brathwaite (22 in 39, 56.41%), Alastair Cook (22 in 59, 37.29%), Mike Atherton (21 in 54, 38.89%), Jason Holder (21 in 37, 56.76%), and Misbah-ul-Haq (19 in 56, 33.93%) round out the top ten.
Root's return to captaincy
Root had stepped down as England's Test captain in April 2022 following a difficult period in charge. But he returned to the role for the second Test against New Zealand after regular skipper Ben Stokes was suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for breaching the team's midnight curfew and being involved in a drunken altercation at a nightclub. The ECB's decision to hand the captaincy back to Root rather than vice-captain Harry Brook became understandable once England's selection issues unfolded. Alongside Stokes, fast bowler Gus Atkinson was unavailable after also being involved in the nightclub incident, while Ollie Robinson missed the match through injury.
New Zealand dominates at The Oval
Those absences forced England to field three debutants on a surface that favoured a more experienced side, and New Zealand made the most of the opportunity. The visitors posted 391 in the first innings before bowling England out to secure a lead of 100 runs. New Zealand then piled on another 361 in the second innings to set England an imposing target of 463. Any hopes of an unlikely chase disappeared quickly on the fifth morning. England resumed on 182/5 but lost their remaining five wickets in just 48 minutes as Matt Henry ran through the lower order. Henry finished with sensational figures of 6-29 in the second innings and 11-109 in the match, recording his maiden ten-wicket haul in Test cricket and the best match figures by a New Zealand bowler against England.
Root's final resistance falls short
England were eventually bowled out for 209, handing New Zealand a commanding 253-run victory and levelling the series ahead of the decider in Nottingham. Root was England's final major hope on the last morning but added only two runs to his overnight score before Henry trapped him lbw for 77, effectively ending the hosts' resistance. Although Root is now level with Fleming on 27 defeats, his loss percentage of 40.91 per cent is substantially higher than both Fleming's and Smith's, highlighting why his captaincy record remains one of the most scrutinised among modern Test leaders.
