Plenty of highs but poor Ashes record tarnishes Joe Root legacy as captain

Root's time as captain will be viewed in the years to come. Root stepped down as England Test captain on Friday, saying the job had taken a heavy toll on him recently, despite declaring in late March he wanted to continue as skipper. Analysing his legacy is a difficult task, given the various peaks and troughs he encountered after taking the role in 2017.

The Yorkshire-born batsman is England's second-highest Test run-scorer of all time behind Alastair Cook and his tally of 5,295 runs as skipper is the highest by an England captain. Root has recorded more wins as skipper than any of his compatriots (27), but also suffered more defeats (26) in the role than others. Of those defeats, England's woeful recent record of meek surrenders against Australia stands out.

FALL FROM GRACERoot enjoyed instant success as skipper after succeeding Cook in the wake of a drubbing in India. A score of 190 on his captaincy debut - the first Test against South Africa at Lord's in the summer of 2017 - was the highest of six centuries scored by England captains in their first match in the job. Back-to-back wins in the final two Tests gave England a 3-1 series victory to get Root off to a flier.

He finished with 461 runs - 131 more than his nearest challenger on either side. The honeymoon period did not last long as England surrendered their Ashes urn following a 4-0 drubbing down under in 2017-18, before another series defeat, this time in New Zealand, saw Root's first year at the helm end inauspiciously. Another upturn in fortunes took place in 2018 as Root's England thrashed the number one Test team India 4-1 at home, before going to Sri Lanka and overseeing his first overseas tour win, becoming the first Englishman in 55 years to secure a