England captain Joe Root: If something pops into my head I write it down... even if it's the middle of the night

Like many new parents, Joe Root is awake in the middle of the night more often than he would care to remember. Yet even at those times, the England captain struggles to stop thinking about cricket.

The mind can be inspired at the most surprising moments. That is why, since the beginning of the summer, Root has kept a notebook at his side, ready to jot down the ideas he hopes will make England the world’s best Test team again.

“It’s not something I’ve always done,” Root says. “I had the idea at the start of the season, to write things down, note down my feelings after every innings — but I half-expected I would stop doing it after three games.

“Since I’ve been captain, I’ve continued to do it, so I think it is here to stay. I try not to be too regimented about it but I will do it whenever something pops into my mind. If and when a light bulb flashes, I try to make sure I get it down in writing.

“Does it happen in the middle of the night? Yes. It’s one of those things you make sure is there for when you need it, so whatever is in your mind is not just a passing thought.”

Root will do all he can to ensure the players’ minds are focused only on the West Indies, and the first pink-ball Test in England, which starts tomorrow at Edgbaston. He says all the right things, about looking after “the now” and being wary of allowing thoughts to drift to the winter. In reality, though, it is an impossible task.

Whether he likes it or not, Root’s captaincy is likely to be defined by results in Ashes contests, and the next, in Australia, is a little more than three months away. The First Test, in Brisbane, starts on November 23 and however hard Root tries to ignore it publicly, he is fighting a losing battle.

That is not to say England will underestimate West Indies, who won the last Test between these teams — the five-wicket victory in Barbados in May 2015, which persuaded the ECB to sack coach Peter Moores for the second time. Yet between now and November, everything Root and his players do will be assessed in the context of the winter.

Now and then, the mask slips. This is the first of two pink-ball Tests England will face this year, with the second, in Adelaide, taking place in early December, and Root has already been doing his research.

“We spoke to some of the South Africa guys at the end of the Old Trafford Test about how the pink ball performed, and they said it made a big impact at night,” Root says. “The Kookaburra seemed to swing and seam a lot more, whereas it was good to bat earlier in the day.

“Does that mean you should declare early? You have to get a feel for that when you’re out there. It is great for us to get this exposure to the pink ball before we go out to Australia, though we have to understand it might perform differently there to how it does here.

“I always try to look at least six months into the future. So if I’m going to Australia, I make sure I put in extra work for those tours, alongside what I am doing already for the next match. You have to make sure you are not caught cold.

“As captain, you have to look after the present while also having an eye on the future. It’s a difficult balance to find but it’s one I am going to have to work out pretty quickly.”

Root’s family is steeped in cricket, with his brother, Bill, on the books at Nottinghamshire. Only last week, the pair were at Abbeydale Park, the ground in Sheffield where both have played many innings, for Joe to give his younger sibling a coaching session.

“He wanted to have a little practice so I threw a few balls at him and we worked on a few things,” Root says.

“It is difficult, because you want to help, but you also don’t want to step on the toes of any coaches who work with him. I follow his career and support him but I can’t get too involved.”

When his seven-month-old son, Alfred, grows up, how will he manage the usual expectation on the child of a sporting parent?

“You don’t want to force anything — but if a little cricket bat or golf club finds its way into his cot, that’s no bad thing,” Root smiles.

“He has a little soft cricket ball, as well. I don’t think trying to chew a proper cricket ball would work out too well, as Shahid Afridi found out.”

Afridi, the eccentric Pakistan all-rounder, was banned for two matches after being caught on camera biting the ball in a one-day international against Australia in January 2010. Root’s recollection of the incident reveals two qualities that ought to help him greatly as England captain — a thorough knowledge of the game and a sharp sense of humour.

“When I first came into the England team, in 2012, I felt like the little brother,” he says. “I would give Graeme Swann a bit of banter and he would rip me when he got the opportunity but I always felt completely involved in everything.

“It is important for players in this team to make sure nobody feels on the outside of things.

“People need to understand they have been picked for everything they bring, not just runs and wickets. They need to feel that if they have an idea, they can share it, even if it is something we don’t use.

“With time and different responsibilities, I do find myself more distant from the side as captain in certain aspects but the most important thing is to be myself. That will allow me to have the best influence on the group, rather than trying to be someone I am not.”

Joe Root is an ambassador for health and life insurer Vitality, inspiring healthy and active lifestyles — vitality.co.uk