'Deserved better': Joe Root in England cricket bombshell
Joe Root has stepped down as England captain after months of speculation over his future in the wake of England's lackluster performance in the Ashes earlier this year.
The 31-year-old batsman made the decision on Friday, following England's 1-0 series loss to the West Indies.
'WHAT ON EARTH': Cricket world erupts over Marnus Labuschagne act
CRAZY: Artist facing criminal charges over mural of Shane Warne
Root's move to relinquish the captaincy follows the demise of former coach Chris Silverwood and batting coach Graham Thorpe.
The former skipper holds the England record for the most wins as captain, edging out predecessor Sir Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan with 27 victories.
While Root has performed admirably amid a difficult time in English cricket, he felt the time was right to reflect on his place following the series loss to the West Indies.
"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.
"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."
Having drawn or lost 16 of their past 17 Test matches, having won the first three they played in 2021, England is now firmly in a transitional period.
With just over a year to go before the Ashes swing back to England, the ECP are still yet to appoint a full-time coach or managing director, and now face the task of selecting a new skipper as well.
Cricket fans paid triubute to Root on social media, with many regretting the highly-successful captain wasn't ending his reign under happier circumstances.
Sad to see Joe Root step down with no obvious replacement. His captaincy deserved a much better send off. Played the most, won the most, lost the most. But relentless pressure from critics takes it's toll. I wonder which option they want: The fatigued, the stop-gap or the gamble?
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) April 15, 2022
Joe Root is 7th in the most Test matches captained.
Among all the top 20 captains in the list, Root's captaincy duration is the shortest (4 years, 264 days).— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) April 15, 2022
Despite the dip in his team’s performances of late, #JoeRoot signs off as captain with a lot to take pride in. His personal form last year was just brilliant (1708 runs). Hope we can see more of that Root going forward.
— Roha Nadeem (@RohaNadym) April 15, 2022
Imagine for a moment that Joe Root starts scoring more runs now that he’s not burdened with the Test captaincy…
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) April 15, 2022
Good luck to @root66 who has resigned from the @englandcricket captaincy. A job he carried out with great integrity and competitiveness. As one of the greatest batsmen in history he brought us some unforgettable moments. Go and score loads more runs in more relaxed circumstances.
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) April 15, 2022
Like Kohli, , Joe Root ateps down from captaincy saying it’s taking a toll heavy toll of him. Privileges of the job are many, pressures many, many more
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2022
Joe Root quits as England captain . Sounds like one of his best decisions after a pretty bad spell . One of the greatest batsman we will ever get to see doesn’t need the hassle anymore. More runs to come 🙏 #Root
— Mark Austin (@markaustintv) April 15, 2022
Joe Root steps down as England captain after horror run
England's tactics were regularly a point of contention during the Ashes, with bowlers' lengths a clear issue with the pink ball in Adelaide.
Selections were also problematic, while Root's batting itself suffered as he went another Ashes tour without a century before rebounding in the Caribbean.
Hs exit leaves England without a captain, head coach, and managing director just 15 months out from next year's Ashes.
Ben Stokes would be the leading contender to captain them for that series with James Anderson and Stuart Broad among the majority of their top squad who are in and out of the team.
"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 said.
Root, who is England's second-highest Test run-scorer behind Cook, scored 14 centuries as captain, with his tally of 5,295 runs as skipper the highest of any England captain.
"I am excited to continue representing the Three Lions and producing performances that will enable the team to succeed," he said.
"I look forward to helping the next captain, my teammates and coaches in whatever way I can."
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: "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."
With AAP
Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
