Is it time for heads to roll in England’s Test team?

England experienced a torrid run in Test cricket in the year 2021. The Joe Root-led side ended the year after receiving a battering in The Ashes series against Australia, and have lost all three Test matches in the series so far, with Australia retaining the urn with two Test matches left.

Another thing is, England suffered a staggering nine Test defeats last year, and to put that into some perspective, only Bangladesh has lost as many Test matches in a calendar year (2003).

England Test skipper Joe Root has received a lot of flak from former cricketers regarding his captaincy style, with many feeling that Root should be axed as the skipper. And, there are even reports that Chris Silverwood might be removed as the head coach this year.

England equalled most test losses in a single year(9 in 15 games)- Equalling Bangladesh.

Should’ve been 10. Thanks to rain on 8th August 2021. India was denied a win at Trent Bridge. England was saved from an extra loss. #TestCricket #WTC23 #AUSvENG #ENGvIND

— 71st ton coming soon (@Ton71ComingSoon) December 28, 2021

England seldom got things right last year. After starting 2021 with a series win against Sri Lanka, they cut a sorry figure in the whites, and things have gone downhill.

The Joe Root-led side lost their away Test series against India by a margin of 1-3. After that, they lost their home series against New Zealand by a margin of 0-1. Then came the hugely hyped-up series against India at home, and the England side lost two Test matches and won only one.

Then, came this thorough debacle, where England were hammered into submission by Australia in The Ashes. Yes, there is confusion in the England camp. Results have not gone their way, their captain is receiving flak, and there is a school of thought that Ben Stokes can take over as the skipper of the Test side from Root.

Will Joe Root be removed as skipper after the Ashes? Will Ben Stokes take over as the new Test skipper? Will underperforming players be dropped from the side? These are indeed desperate times that the England Test side is going through.

And amidst all this, the immediate concern for England will be to try and prevent Australia from whitewashing them in The Ashes. They will try to post a win in at least one out of the remaining two Test matches to salvage some pride.