Joe Root has relinquished England’s Test captaincy on Friday, April 15, after a disappointing Ashes and the Caribbean tours. England have won just one of their previous 17 matches and Joe Root says the job had taken a heavy toll on him.
Joe Root was appointed captain in 2017 after Alastair Cook resigned from the job. Leading the team for five years, he played 64 matches, won 27 and lost 26. In his tenure as a captain, he scored 5295 runs with 14 centuries and 26 half-centuries.
After the recent defeats in the Ashes and against the West Indies, fans and even ex-England captains Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, and Michael Vaughan and had started calling him out publicly to step down from captaincy.
Look at how Twitterati reacted to this:
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“It has been the most challenging decision”- Joe Root
“After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England’s 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,” said Joe Root.
“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.
“I had loved leading my country but recently it’s hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game,” added Joe Root.
But he said that he is “excited to continue… producing performances that will enable the team to succeed”. And added: “I look forward to helping the next captain, my team-mates and coaches in whatever way I can.”
Ben Stokes, the vice-captain is the favorite to replace him but Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad, and Rory Burns are also among other best contenders.
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