Record holder Joe Root has stepped down as England men’s Test Captain.
Root holds the record for the most number of matches and wins as England Men’s Test captain. His 27 victories put him ahead of Michael Vaughan (26), Sir Alastair Cook, and Sir Andrew Strauss (24 each).
After being appointed as Sir Alastair Cook’s successor in 2017, Root led the side to several famous series victories, including a 4-1 home series win over India in 2018 and a 3-1 triumph away to South Africa in 2020.
In 2018 he became the first England Men’s Captain to win a Test series in Sri Lanka since 2001, a feat he went on to repeat with a 2-0 victory in Sri Lanka in 2021.
He is already England’s second-highest Test run-scorer of all time behind only Cook and scored 14 centuries as Captain.
His tally of 5,295 runs as skipper is the highest by any England captain and puts him 5th in the all-time list behind only Graeme Smith, Alan Border, Ricky Ponting, and Virat Kohli.
“After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England Men’s Test captain,” Root 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.”
He has thanked all the England supporters for unwavering support.
Root is looking forward to help the next captain of Three Lions, teammates, and coaches in every way.
Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer has defined Root as an exceptional role model.
Harrison said, “During his tenure, Root balanced the demands of Test captaincy whilst continuing to shine brilliantly through his own personal performances.
“He has led by example, and that has resulted in more Test wins than any other England captain, alongside several famous series home and away victories.
ECB has not decided Test captain yet. Ben Stokes, the current vice-captain, appears the likeliest successor to lead England.
