Joe Root steps down as England Test captain following West Indies defeat

Joe Root has stepped down as England Test captain following his side's series defeat against West Indies.

England slumped to a 10-wicket defeat in the third Test in Grenada as their winless run stretched to nine matches.

In the aftermath, Root said he wanted to stay on but now says "the timing is right" to step down.

"I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride," he said.

"It has been an honour to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket.

"I have loved leading my country, but recently it's hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game."

Root's tally of 5,295 runs as captain is the most by any England captain, and he scored 14 centuries while holding the position.

England's second highest Test run scorer of all time, he led his country in a record 64 Tests and has overseen the most wins (27) but also the most defeats (26).

His notable series losses include two 4-0 Ashes defeats in Australia, in 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Last month's series defeat in the Caribbean followed England's 4-0 Ashes defeat at the hands of Australia and is their fourth series loss in a row - fifth if including the unfinished series against India, in which England trail 2-1.

England have won one of their past 17 Tests, their worst run since the 1980s.

They are in the process of appointing a new managing director and men's head coach, following the departures of Ashley Giles and Chris Silverwood after the Ashes.

It had been expected a decision on Root's future would be made once those positions had been filled.

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