He holds the record for the highest number of matches and wins as England captain
Joe Root has stepped down from his position as captain of the England men’s test cricket.
His resignation comes off the back of a 1-0 test series defeat to the West Indies, and a humiliating Ashes tour defeat over the winter.
In a statement, he said: “After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England Men’s Test Captain.
“It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me; I know the timing is right.”
“I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride.
“It has been an honour to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket.”
The Yorkshireman was appointed as captain in 2017, replacing Sir Alastair Cook.
Thank You, @root66 ❤️
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 15, 2022
Since then, he has led his country in 64 Tests, overseeing 27 wins and 26 defeats. All three of these are records.
The batsman has racked up 5,295 runs as captain – another record – and scored 14 centuries during his tenure as captain.
But despite his batting reaching levels staggering levels in the past year and a half, the fortune’s of his team have taken a turn for the worse.
Root’s team have won just one of their last 17 tests, their worst run since the 1980s, and are five Test series without a win.
Speculation about Root’s future as captain has been rife ever since he oversaw a second 4-0 Ashes series defeat this winter.
There has been no news about who will replace him as captain now, although all eyes will surely turn to Ben Stokes on that front.
And this is by no means the end of his career, with Root in undroppable form with the bat.
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