Alastair Cook stands down as England Test captain following eight defeats in 2016

Standing down: Alastair Cook
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Tom Collomosse7 February 2017

Alastair Cook today quit as England Test captain but declared his intention to continue as a player.

Cook handed in his resignation to ECB chairman Colin Graves on Sunday night, bringing to a close his four-and-a-half-year stint in the job.

England managing director Andrew Strauss hopes to announce Cook’s replacement before England depart for a limited-overs tour of West Indies on February 22, with Joe Root the overwhelming favourite to succeed Cook.

The highlights of Cook’s reign were the win in India in 2012, Ashes success in 2013 and 2015 and victory in South Africa early last year. But he was also in charge for the 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2013-14 and his last series as captain was the 4-0 defeat in India late last year.

Cook 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.

“I’ve had time to reflect after the India series and this weekend I spoke to Colin Graves, the Chairman, to explain and offer my resignation.

“It’s been a huge honour to be England captain and to lead the Test team over the past five years. Playing for England really is a privilege and I hope to carry on as a Test player, making a full contribution and helping the next England captain and the team however I can.

“It’s a sad day personally in many ways but I want to thank everyone I’ve captained, all the coaches and support staff and, of course, the England supporters and the Barmy Army who follow us home and away and have given us unwavering support.”

The highlights of Cook’s 59-Test reign, which began in August 2012, were the win in India in 2012, Ashes success in 2013 and 2015 and victory in South Africa early last year. But he was also in charge for the 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2013-14 and his last series as captain was the 4-0 defeat in India late last year. The defeat by India in Chennai in December was England’s eighth in Tests in 2016.

Strauss’s verdict that Cook was a “great” captain is perhaps generous, but his place in the batting pantheon is assured. With 11,057 Test runs, Cook is England’s leading scorer and 10th on the all-time list.

Strauss said no successor had been identified, though Root, England’s best batsman, is the clear front-runner. Root said last month he felt ready to take over if required.

Root was made Cook’s vice-captain in 2015, with Strauss asking the 25-year-old to become more of a leader within the side.

Strauss said: “We now move on with the process of appointing the right successor. There are a number of established players who are playing formal or informal leadership roles.

“Whilst we’ve rightly not spoken to anyone in relation to the Test captaincy so far, we can now talk fully and openly within the team. We expect to be able to make an announcement before the team head to the West Indies on February 22.

“With more matches leading the team than anyone, including two Ashes wins, Alastair deserves to be seen as one of our country’s great captains.

“Off the field as well as on, he has shown his strengths, developing the team and its culture, managing a fundamental transition and helping us to build for the future.

“As with all leaders, there have been times where circumstances have tested him but his resilience and temperament have helped him to prevail. His country owes him a great debt of gratitude. He’s led the team with determination, conviction and a huge amount of pride over the last five years and his record stands for itself.”

Though Cook’s early results were excellent, including the win in India in 2012 and the home Ashes success a year later, his future was placed in doubt when England were demolished Down Under in 2013-14.

The departure of Andy Flower as coach in 2014, and return of Peter Moores, gave Cook the chance to stamp his mark on the team.

Cook was removed as one-day captain shortly before the 2015 World Cup, in which England’s humiliation effectively cost Moores his job.

With a new coach, Trevor Bayliss, Cook was a respected leader of a group containing talented young players like Root, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, along with experienced hands Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.

Yet the unforgiving tour of Asia, where England drew 1-1 in Bangladesh before the thrashing in India, appears to have taken its toll.

How long will Cook carry on? His predecessor, Strauss, quit as a player when he stepped down as captain in 2012. Other recent skippers like Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart and Mike Atherton continued to play even when no longer captain, though Michael Vaughan did not do so.

As leader, Cook was not a natural but put heart and soul into the role and gained important knowledge and experience — gems of information that his successor must heed.

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