Joe Root acknowledges he may have over-bowled "generational talent" Jofra Archer in his first spell as England's Test captain and has vowed not to do so again.

Root was reappointed as England's red-ball skipper following Ben Stokes' decision to retire from international cricket after June's series defeat to New Zealand. 

The 35-year-old – who previously led the team from 2017 to 2022, stepping down after a 4-0 Ashes series defeat to Australia – will team up with new head coach Stephen Fleming after Brendon McCullum was relieved of his red-ball duties.

Root's 65 Tests as captain – the most recent of which came in the second match of the New Zealand series as he stood in for Stokes while he was injured – are the most by any player in England's history.

He was at the helm for Archer's Test debut in August 2019, with the paceman playing 13 of his 20 red-ball matches during Root's first captaincy.

Archer's career has been disrupted by a series of persistent injuries, and he has only bowled 40 or more overs in a Test once since Root brought his first spell as captain to a halt in 2022, having previously done so on four occasions.

"I think at times maybe I did over-bowl him and over-use him. The attack that he works with now complements him really well," Root told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. 

"There are other people that can potentially play a role that I might have used Jofra for in the past.

"I believe he's a generational talent and someone that is going to have produced wonderful things for England across the formats.

"In Test cricket, he's capable of doing some wonderful things. Clearly, as I said, I didn't get everything right the first time around.

"I made mistakes, but he's going to be a really important factor in what we do moving forward. I'm very excited to work with him again."

Joe Root is back as captain and some familiar faces also are making their return  pic.twitter.com/imQamKKjjr

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 6, 2026

Although Root is excited to work with Fleming – a five-time Indian Premier League champion since moving into coaching – he was sad to see McCullum stand down from the Test team, with the New Zealander retaining his role at the helm of the white-ball sides.

"I'll be honest with you. I was gutted when I found out Brendon was no longer going to be the Test coach. He's someone that I feel has really got the best out of me personally," Root added. 

"I love the way he sees the game, and the way that he's opened my eyes up to looking at it slightly differently. I'm very glad that we still get to work together in the white-ball stuff.

"[Fleming] and I have crossed paths a bit over the last few years when he's coached different teams around the world.

"He's someone that I really did admire as a player, with the way that he's always held himself as a captain first and foremost. His record as a coach has been exceptional, albeit in T20 cricket. There's so much that I'm looking forward to in that respect."

Root's first Test series back in charge of the England team is against Pakistan, with the first of three matches starting at Headingley on August 19. The squad for the first two Tests has already been confirmed, with Archer named in the group.

Fleming will then begin his head coaching duties ahead of a tour of South Africa in December and January.