Joe Root reveals he quit as England Test skipper due to effect of captaincy on his family

Joe Root has revealed he decided to resign as England Test captain when he noticed the negative effect it was having on his family, claiming the job ‘took the life out of me’.

Root became skipper in February 2017 and went on to record the most wins of any England Test captain (27) but also suffered more defeats (26) than any of his compatriots.

The 31-year-old suffered two damaging Ashes defeats in Australia – the most recent of which took place last winter – but the nail in the coffin came after England arrived home from a dismal defeat in the West Indies.  

The 31-year-old has revealed he realised his time was up after the series defeat in West Indies

Speaking on the Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast ahead of next week’s deciding Test against South Africa at the Oval, Root claims the role made him a ‘shadow’ of who he wanted to be because of how it was affecting his wife and two children, Alfie and Isabella. 

‘The last couple of years, it’s took the life of me, really. And it did take its toll,’ he said. 

‘It was the right decision for the group, first and foremost, but also for me personally, I wasn’t myself.

‘I was coming home from series and I wasn’t able to switch off or wasn’t able to be present with my family. And I could see myself as a shadow of the person that I want to be. 

He said the role he held for more than four years made him a ‘shadow’ of who he wanted to be

‘I think sometimes you’ve got to be big enough to understand that it’s time to move on and time for someone else to take that great honour on.

‘It was when I got home from the West Indies tour. I think it had been coming for a long time. I just didn’t want to believe it. And I think when you talk about not being present and it getting to a point where I started to notice it and I could see the effect it was having on not just kids, but Carrie my wife as well around me, it just wasn’t fair on those guys.’

Root admitted he was eager to try and turn England’s dismal record around, which ended up reading one win in 17 Tests after defeat in Grenada. 

But after victories against New Zealand and India already this summer, the Yorkshire star is satisfied that he made the correct decision to hand the reins over to Ben Stokes. 

Root is satisfied that he made the correct decision to hand the reins over to Ben Stokes

‘Out there (West Indies), I was desperate to turn things around. To come back to England, have a fresh look at things, but I’m so glad that we went about things the way we did. 

‘And I spoke to Ben personally, as my vice-captain and probably closest friend within the group first, and quite a while before anyone else. And then it was quite a relief once I’d spoken to family and got that off my chest.’

While Root struggled with the captaincy, the consistency of his batting went to another level in a record-breaking 2021.

He racked up 1,708 runs – the third-most by a men’s player in a calendar year ever – in 15 Test matches at an incredible average of 61, and also became England’s all-time leading runscorer across all formats in the process.

Root racked up 1,708 runs – the third-most by a men’s player in a calendar year ever – in 2021

Many have now backed him to beat Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record, and Root admits batting during those periods was where he felt more at peace. 

‘That was my quiet time, if you like,’ he added. 

‘It’s only you, you don’t have to think about anything other than watching the ball. And the longer I stayed out there, the more peaceful it was. 

‘And the less stuff that I had on my mind and the more in control of things you are as well.’