LONDON: Joe Root has stepped down as England men’s Test captain after a five-year tenure in the role.
Pressure had built on the 31-year-old after a dire run of Test results, culminating in a 4-0 Ashes thrashing and subsequent 1-0 series defeat in West Indies. Root said in a statement: “After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England Men’s Test Captain.”
Root has been in the role for five years and has overseen more games (64), wins (27) and defeats (26) than any other England captain. However, his side have won only one of their last 17 Test matches, a run of form that has made his position untenable.
In the statement issued today, the right-handed batter said: “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.
Root confirmed that he will continue to play international cricket and said he was “excited to continue… producing performances that will enable the team to succeed”. He added: “I look forward to helping the next captain, my team-mates and coaches in whatever way I can.”
Ben Stokes, Root’s vice-captain, is the early favourite to succeed him as captain. Rory Burns, Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler are among the other contenders, though none is certain of a place in England’s best XI.
Root’s resignation comes at a time of huge upheaval in English cricket, with a power vacuum at the ECB following England’s series defeats in the Ashes and against West Indies: the men’s team has no managing director, no head coach, no selector and no Test captain.
Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, said Root had been “an exceptional role model during his tenure, balancing the demands of Test captaincy whilst continuing to shine brilliantly through his own personal performances”.
“Joe’s leadership qualities were exemplified by how he led the team through some of the most difficult and uncertain times we have known, playing during the pandemic all over the world, which speaks volumes for him as a leader and as a person,” Harrison added.
“Off the field, Joe has been no different. It has been a privilege and a huge pleasure to have worked with him in his capacity as our Test captain, and I know he’ll continue to drive English cricket forward as a senior player, offering his wealth of experience and advice to support his successor,” he concluded.
Root was appointed captain in 2017 after Cook’s resignation. Highlights of his tenure included series wins against India at home in 2018 and against South Africa away in 2019-20, while successive 4-0 series defeats in Australia and last summer’s losses at home to New Zealand and India were among the low moments.
Captaincy appeared to affect his batting for parts of his tenure, but he overcame those struggles emphatically in 2021. His 1708 runs last year were the most by an England player – and third-most by any player – in a calendar year, made even more impressive by his team-mates’ run of poor form.
