Joe Root equals unwanted record after England’s defeat to New Zealand | Cricket News

England captain Joe Root (Getty Images)

Joe Root’s remarkable achievements with the bat continued at the Oval, but England’s defeat in New Zealand also saw the former captain add another unwanted entry to his record book.After recently crossing 14,000 Test runs and becoming the first batsman 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 unbeaten run as a Test skipper. England’s 253-run 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 impressive when viewed through the lens of losing percentage. Root achieved 27 defeats in just 66 Tests as captain, giving him a losing rate of 40.91 per cent. Fleming’s 27 losses came in 80 Tests at a loss rate 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 most defeats.Most matches lost as Test Captain

Root had resigned as England Test captain in April 2022 after 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 return the captaincy to Root instead of vice-captain Harry Brook became understandable once England’s selection problems developed. Alongside Stokes, fast bowler Gus Atkinson was unavailable after also being involved in the nightclub incident, while Ollie Robinson missed the match through injury.Those absences forced England to field three debutants on a surface that favored a more experienced side, and New Zealand seized the opportunity.The visitors posted 391 in the first innings before bowling England out to secure a 100-run lead. New Zealand then piled on another 361 in the second innings to set England an imposing target of 463.Any hope of an unlikely hunt quickly vanished on the fifth morning. England resumed 182/5 but lost their remaining five wickets in just 48 minutes as Matt Henry went through the lower order.Henry finished with sensational figures of 6-29 in the second innings and 11-109 in the match, recording his first ten-wicket haul in Test cricket and the best match figures by a New Zealand bowler against England. England were eventually bowled out for 209, handing New Zealand a 253-run victory and leveling the series ahead of the decider in Nottingham.Root was England’s last major hope on the final morning, but he added just 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 losing percentage of 40.91 per cent is substantially higher than both Fleming and Smith, which highlights why his captaincy record remains one of the most scrutinized among modern Test captains.