HEADINGLEY — In a summer of chaos, upheaval and dire results for England’s Test team, the presence of Joe Root as captain is at least one reassuring factor that suggests things can only get better.

Root, speaking at his home ground of Headingley on the eve of the first Test against Pakistan, admitted this was a “unique” series but was at pains to state this really is a new era, even if it all feels underwhelmingly familiar.

Root, of course, is back for a second go as captain four years after the end of his first stint, one which ended with England winning just one of their last 17 Tests under his tenure.

They also lost the second Test against New Zealand back in June under his temporary watch – a match Ben Stokes, his predecessor whose shock retirement still hasn’t sunk in, was suspended for after his late-night sojourn to the Rex Rooms in the aftermath of England’s win in the series opener at Lord’s.

No more curfew

In terms of things that have definitely changed, Root has at least got rid of the problematic curfew introduced after a humiliating Ashes on and off the field in Australia last winter.

“Ultimately, we’ve got to self-police,” Root said. “We can’t find ourselves in situations like we have done over the last little while. Just be grown-ups about it.”

England vs Pakistan, first Test, Headingley

England (probable): Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (captain), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue

 Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Aamir Jamal, Awais Zafar, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali

 Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Allahudien Palekar (South Africa)

Paul Reiffel (Australia)

Root says he is a “different person and player” than he was the last time he had the job on a full-time basis back in the early months of 2022, when a series defeat in the West Indies sealed his fate.

“I look at the game very differently now,” he added.

Fleming already pulling the strings

What makes this “new era” feel so weird is the fact that despite Brendon McCullum being sacked as Test coach in June, his successor Stephen Fleming is not taking charge of the team in person until the tour of South Africa that starts in December.

It’s all very odd, with the England & Wales Cricket Board confirming to The i Paper that he is currently at home with his family in New Zealand, although they admitted they were not sure whether he had any holidays planned before coming to the UK next month to meet his new employers in person.

For these three Tests against Pakistan, Marcus Trescothick is the interim coach. But even more weirdly, it seems Fleming will be pulling the strings from afar, with Root admitting he has been talking to the new coach almost on a daily basis and that they were now both “aligned” on how to take the team forward.

“It’s been good to get to know him and understand how he works, how he sees things,” said Root. “I think it’s very good he’s across things and in constant communication and we’re able to start building and developing something really strong in the next little while.”

It does beg the question why Fleming isn’t already here if he’s speaking to Root so often. It really is taking remote working to the absolute extreme.

That concept, of course, became prevalent during the pandemic. And that, of course, is the one thing that really hamstrung Root during his first spell as captain.

He would be incredibly unlucky to experience that again – as would we all. But what will this new normal for Root’s England look like on a practical level?

Forget the past, ignore the future (even if it involves Stokes again)

The 35-year-old has told his team to forget what’s gone wrong in the past and not to fixate on the future. Next summer’s Ashes can wait. England really need a win. And as such, Root has stated there will be no defined playing style for his team – “There’s more than one way to approach Test cricket,” was the refrain.

He will also take a different position on the field, moving from first slip to mid-off – where Stokes conducted his manoeuvres as captain.

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“I might not be as dynamic as Ben but we’ll see how it works,” he said.

“I think we should be excited about what lies ahead,” he added.

Yet still overshadowing everything, especially here at Headingley, the scene of his greatest innings during the 2019 Ashes, is Stokes.

Root left the door open for his good friend to return for next summer’s Ashes. “That’s a question for down the line,” he said.

For now, the only thing that matters is winning.