Joe Root steps down as English captain after team’s successive poor performances
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*Joe Root stepped down as England test captain on Friday, saying the job had taken a heavy toll on him recently, after dispiriting tours of Australia and the Caribbean capped a string of poor results that prompted calls for him to stand down.*
England have won just one of their previous 17 tests and the pressure had been mounting on Root even before their 1-0 series defeat by the West Indies last month, which came on the heels of a 4-0 Ashes series thrashing by Australia.
Ex-England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain were among those who had said it was time for Root to step down.
