Joe Root steps down as England cricket team Test captain following West Indies defeat
Joe Root stepped down as the England Test captain
Joe Root has stepped down as England`s test captain, the country`s cricket board said on Friday, succumbing to pressure from influential figures within the game following a run of poor results capped by dispiriting tours of Australia and the Caribbean.
Root`s future as head of the team came increasingly under the microscope after England slumped to a 4-0 defeat Down Under last year and then went down 1-0 in a three-test series in the West Indies.
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"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 in a statement issued by the board.
"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."
Since taking charge in 2017 as Alastair Cook`s successor, Root led England in a record 64 tests. His 27 wins and 26 defeats as captain are also records.
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But of his last 17 tests in charge he won just one, as his previously outstanding form with the bat also declined.
Ex-England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain were among former stars of the sport who had said it was time for Root to step down.