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Root in line for captaincy after ‘sad’ Cook quits
Yorkshire batsman Joe Root is the strong favourite to take over
London — Alastair Cook resigned as England Test captain on Monday after a record 59 matches in the role, saying it was "a sad day" but the right decision for the team. Yorkshire batsman Joe Root is the strong favourite to take over with an announcement expected in the next fortnight, as England build towards the Ashes in Australia at the end of 2017. Cook, England’s leading scorer in Tests with 11,057 runs, became captain in August 2012 and led his country to Ashes glory on home soil in 2013 and 2015 as well as series wins in India and SA. "It’s been a huge honour to be England captain and to lead the Test team over the past five years," Cook, 32, who intends to carry on playing Test cricket for a while, said. "Stepping down has been an incredibly hard decision, but I know this is the correct decision for me and at the right time for the team." Cook’s decision to stand down follows England’s 4-0 series defeat in India at the end of 2016, which put pressure on him to quit. The Englan...
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