Cricket: Joe Root resigns as England test captain

Joe Root has resigned as England captain. Photo / Getty

Joe Root has resigned as England's test captain after a record-breaking number of matches in charge.

Root led the team in 64 tests since his appointment in 2017 but stands down after a disastrous Ashes tour this winter and defeat in the Caribbean.

It leaves the way clear for a new director of cricket to be announced next week and to anoint Ben Stokes as test captain. Rob Key, the former Kent and England batsman, is the favourite to be named as the new director of cricket and was heavily critical in his role as a Sky pundit of Root's captaincy at the end of the Ashes.

Root led England to more test victories - 27 - than any other England captain but he never landed a big series win. He tried three times to beat Australia, losing 4-1 and 4-0 away from home and drawing the 2019 home series. His batting was his strength as a leader. His 5295 runs is the highest by any England captain.

He insisted he was the right man to lead England after the defeats in Australia and West Indies but it was clear England needed a new direction.

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.

"I have 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."

Root intends to continue playing for England, with Tom Harrison, chief executive of the ECB, praising his "integrity and humility as a person, as much as his determination and example as a leader".

"Joe has been an exceptional role model during his tenure, balancing the demands of test captaincy whilst continuing to shine brilliantly through his own personal performances," said Harrison. "He has led by example, and that has resulted in more men's test wins than any other England captain, alongside a number of famous series home and away victories.

"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.

"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 men's 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."