ECB’s statistical spin hides the fact that Joe Root was sunk as England captain

There is a terrifying moment in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner where the crew of the mariner’s ship, lost at sea under a merciless sun, are visited by a mind-blowing vision: a ghost galleon containing only the figure of Death and a sad, pale woman.

Alone on their putrid deck, Death and the sad, pale woman – who to be fair, probably expected something more along the lines of cabaret and a buffet – play an arbitrary game of dice for the lives of the (already dying) crew.

Literary scholars have argued for centuries over the meaning of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem. And while there is no hard evidence Coleridge ever intended his vision as an allegory for the state of English men’s red-ball cricket in the late Joe Root captaincy era, well, the imagination is certainly a mysterious place.

As Root’s resignation brings to a close the last two years of desiccated decline – no coach, no selectors, management speak everywhere but not a drop of leadership – it is hard to avoid the sense of something equally lonely and equally doomed in his final course through that dying sea as England’s Test captain.

As of Friday morning there is at least some overdue closure. That last sad, pale figure has vacated the deck, all played out after 64 matches and five difficult years. And for all concerned Root’s resignation will bring feelings of relief above all. Most obviously for Root himself, whose time as captain has been remarkable on two fronts.

First, for its basic longevity. In many ways the only significant, or even noteworthy thing about Root’s captaincy was the fact he managed to do it for so long. “Root holds the record for the most number of matches and wins as England Men’s Test Captain,” was the top line from the ECB, dishing up the