England lose its chief Cook, Root set to new skipper

New Delhi : England’s most capped skipper, Alastair Cook stepped down as Test captain. He holds a record 59 matches as captain and will continue as batsman in the team.

The opener is also England’s leading scorer in Tests with 11,057 runs, took over the captaincy reins  in August 2012 after Andrew Straus retied.  Cook led his country to Ashes glory on home soil in 2013 and 2015 as well as series wins in India and South Africa.

Yorkshire batsman Joe Root is the early favourite to take over with an announcement expected in the next fortnight.

Cook, who also led England in a record 69 one-day internationals between 2010 and 2014, is the country’s most capped Test skipper and has scored more Test centuries than any previous captain.

He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2012 and ICC World Test Captain in 2013.

Cook’s decision came on the back of England’s 4-0 series defeat in India and drawn series in Bangladesh last year.