Former vice-captain Joe Root has been announced as the new England Test captain, taking over from Alastair Cook, who resigned from the position recently following over four years in charge of his country. The 26-year-old Yorkshireman saw off competition from the likes of all-rounder Ben Stokes and bowler Stuart Broad for the role, with England currently fourth in the ICC Test rankings following their series defeat to world number one side India.
Durham man Ben Stokes will now step up as vice-captain, with a one-day cricket series at home to the West Indies to look forward to in March, before Root takes charge for the first time against South Africa in the summer. With an Ashes series at the end of 2017 to look forward to, in which England are the outsiders for victory according to Betway Sports, Root and Co certainly have their work cut out.
Joe Root
Root will undoubtedly be hoping to lead from the front, with the new skipper the leading England run scorer since his debut back in December 2012 with a total of 4,594 runs to his name. Root’s name is now synonymous with the world game, with only Indian captain Virat Kohli having scored more runs than him in all forms of International cricket in the same period.
Cook had been under pressure in his role as captain for long periods following a less than successful 2016, finally resigning on the 6th February after 59 tests at the helm. The 32-year-old opener is expected to remain in contention for a Test place, with the Essex batsman hoping to remind the world of his talents without the pressure of the captaincy. The decision regarding Cook’s long-term future will lie with his former opening batsman Andrew Strauss, with the current Director of Cricket having been at the forefront of the decision to appoint Root as his successor.
Although England will be concentrating on limited-overs cricket for the majority of 2017, with Betway offering them as the favourites to overcome the visiting West Indies and Ireland in the coming months, Root’s reign will not begin until July. Although the youngster has very little experience in such a role, with Root having skippered just four first-class matches, many within the game are backing him to lead England to a return to form.