Joe Root captaincy verdict given by England teammate after Ashes disaster

Ollie Pope has insisted that England captain Joe Root has 'the backing of every single player', despite widespread criticism of his leadership following the Ashes.

The likes of Nasser Hussain, Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Chappell and Ricky Ponting have all criticised Root's team selection and tactics during the series, with his England side getting comfortably beaten 4-0 by Australia.

Despite England's struggles, the ECB have backed Root to continue as skipper, with interim Managing Director of Men's cricket Sir Andrew Strauss giving him a major vote of confidence.

"Having spoken to Joe it is absolutely clear the extent of his commitment to taking this side forward – he has incredible motivation and energy to do that," Strauss said.

"He is bruised and disappointed by what went on the Ashes but he has the respect of the players they all play for him and obviously he sets a magnificent example both on and off the field.

"I will give him my full support and make sure he has the right structure around him to take pressure off him and make sure he can do his job properly."

Pope has also given Root his backing, becoming the first of his England teammates to do so publicly after it was announced that he would be continuing as captain.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Pope said: "I think he's got the backing of every single player. We've seen what he can do as a player but he is also England's most successful captain as well.

"His batting has gone to a new level as well and as a unit, we haven't scored the runs to back that up.

"It should not necessarily be the captain who gets punished for that. He's got a calm head on him so that is probably the reason why he stayed in the role."