Joe Root steps down as England Test captain
What's the story
England Test team player Joe Root has stepped down as captain following his side's defeat in the recently concluded series against West Indies. Earlier, Root was appointed Sir Alastair Cook's successor in 2017. England have been performing poorly for a while in Tests and see their win-less run stretched to nine matches. The Three Lions will need to start afresh now.
Context
Why does this story matter?
England weren't going anywhere in the longest format of late and the losses have been hurting. In the ongoing World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle, England remain at bottom of the pile. They were hammered 4-0 by Australia in The Ashes. A 1-0 defeat to WI was a hard pill to swallow. Root has been England's best player but then it's a team sport.
Words
'I am immensely proud to have captained my country'
"I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride," said Root. He said it has been an honor to lead England all these years. "It has been an honor to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket," he added.
Numbers
Root is England's most successful Test skipper
Root led England in 64 Test matches. This is the highest number by a captain of the Three Lions team. He went on to win 27 Tests, bettering the 26 pocketed by former skipper Michael Vaughan. Root also lost 26 Tests and saw his side earn 11 draws. He clocked a win percentage of 40.62.
Runs
Fifth-highest run-scorer as captain
Root is the fifth-highest run-scorer as captain in Test cricket. He amassed a total of 5,295 runs as skipper at an average of 46.45. He hammered 14 tons and 26 fifties. Root is only behind Graeme Smith (8,659), Allan Border (6,623), Ricky Ponting (6,542), and Virat Kohli (5,846) in terms of runs as captain.
WTC 2021-23
England's performance in the ongoing WTC
England have played a total of three-Test series so far in the ongoing WTC 2021-23 cycle. They were trailing 2-1 against India with the final Test scheduled this year. England were battered by the Aussies 4-0 and they lost to WI next. Out of 12 Tests, they have won one, lost seven, and drawn four. They have a PCT of 12.50.
Silverwood
Silverwood was sacked as England head coach
In February, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) parted ways with Chris Silverwood. The development was confirmed by ECB on their website. ECB's decision came in the wake of England's Ashes disaster Down Under. His sacking came a day after Ashley Giles stepped down as Managing Director of England cricket. Silverwood was appointed England's head coach in 2019 by Giles.