Joe Root replaces Cook as England's Test captain
Joe Root is appointed as England's new Test captain. He succeeds Alastair Cook who stepped down recently after the team's disappointing performance against India. Root had been the frontrunner to replace Cook, considering there were few serious alternatives to him. "It's a huge honour to be given the England Test captaincy. I feel very privileged, humbled and very excited," Root responded.
Joe Root - Early cricketing years
Joe Root is a Yorkshire lad, born on 30 Dec 1990. He come from a cricketing family. His grandfather captained Rotherham CC in Yorkshire league and his younger brother Billy plays for Nottinghamshire County Cricket club. The right-handed batsman played for home club Yorkshire before making his mark with England U-19 squad. He played for the country in 2010 U-19 World Cup.
Test and ODI debut
Joe Root's Test debut came in Dec 2012 when he was selected to play for the national squad for the Test series against India. Root scored a total of 93 runs in England's historic series win in Indian subcontinent. Immediately after the Test series, he was given the opportunity to debut in both T20 and ODI formats, during the England's tour of India.
Centuries in all formats
So far Joe Root played 53 Test matches (4594 runs) and 80 ODIs (3149 runs). Of this, he has scored 11 Test centuries and 8 ODI tons. He is ranked World No.3 batsman as per ICC Test ratings, behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli.
Root, the 80th England Test captain
Joe Root is the 80th England Test captain and 10th man from Yorkshire to hold the position.
The future challenge
While England's director of cricket Andrew Strauss described Root as the 'right man' for the job, the challenge Root faces is not an easy one as he inherits a team which has been described by his predecessor Cook as 'stagnated'. His first series as the captain is against South Africa, the current world number three, followed by an Ashes tour to Australia.
