London: A tour of the Indian sub-continent in the past has rung the death knell for many captains. Alastair Cook was the latest to join the dreaded list as he announced Monday, through the ECB, his decision to quit Test captaincy for England.
Cook, who was appointed captain in 2012, led England in 59 Tests, among which were Ashes victories at home in 2013 and 2015 as well as series wins in India and South Africa. ECB has already started the process to appoint the next Test captain with batting mainstay Joe Root regarded as the favourite for the job.
“I’ve had time to reflect after the India series and this weekend I spoke to Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, to explain and offer my resignation,” England’s most capped Test captain said referring to last year’s 0-4 loss in India.
The 32-year-old has scored more Test centuries than any of his predecessors and is also the country’s most prolific Test batsman with 11,057 runs in 140 Tests.
“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,” he added.
Cook also led England in a record 69 ODIs between 2010 and 2014. “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,” Cook stated.
The ECB said a ‘proper process’ had started to appoint England’s next Test captain. England’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss said Cook had made a ‘fantastic contribution’ and ‘deserves to be seen as one of our country’s great captains’. “We now move on with the process of appointing the right successor,” Strauss informed.
Reuters
