Joe Root's captaincy has come under fire after his latest stint as England captain, with many questioning his decision-making on the field.

What happened at the Oval?

Joe Root's handling of Jofra Archer's bowling has been criticized, with the fast bowler being overbowled and exhausted by the end of the first day.
The decision to have Archer bowl an eight-over spell, including numerous short balls, was seen as madness by many, given his injury record and lack of proper cricket preparation.

Why it matters for Joe Root

As the undisputed best batsman in the world, Joe Root's captaincy skills are under intense scrutiny, and his inability to learn from past mistakes is a concern.
Ben Stokes' return to lead England at Trent Bridge is a welcome relief, as he has shown to be very good at handling Jofra Archer and making smart captaincy decisions.

What comes next for Joe Root?

With Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson retired from Test match cricket, Joe Root is now the best batsman in the world, but his captaincy skills need improvement.
He needs to learn from his mistakes and develop a better feel for captaincy, which is a gift that cannot be read in a book, but can be learned from watching opposition captains.
Joe Root's experience as captain in New Zealand in 2019 was also marked by similar mistakes, with Archer being overbowled and exhausted.
The great England fast bowler Brian Statham was a good tail-end wicket-taker, and he used to bowl straight, saying “if they miss I hit”, a strategy that Joe Root could learn from.

Captaincy lessons for Joe Root

A good leader has a natural inkling about who to bowl and what field to set for different batsmen, and Joe Root needs to develop this intuition.
He should be thinking about what type of ball a batsman does not want, or what type of delivery makes him feel uncomfortable, and use that to his advantage.
The bouncer is best used as a surprise ball in between trying to hit the stumps, and Joe Root should avoid using it repeatedly, as it can be a recipe for injury to the fast bowler's back or arm.
Jofra Archer's special talent, with a whippy arm action that generates unusual bounce, combined with his exceptional pace, is disconcerting to batsmen, and Joe Root should use him in short, sharp, fast spells to get the best out of him.