England captaincy had become unhealthy, says Root
Cricket
Root stepped down as skipper in the aftermath of England's 1-0 series defeat in the Caribbean.
LONDON (Reuters) - A relieved Joe Root said the England test captaincy had taken a toll on his personal health after he guided his side to a memorable five-wicket win against New Zealand on Sunday in his first match since relinquishing the role.
The 31-year-old stepped down as skipper in the aftermath of England s 1-0 series defeat in the Caribbean in March, which came on the heels of a disastrous 4-0 loss against Australia in the Ashes.
"It had become a very unhealthy relationship, to be honest - the captaincy and me," Root told reporters after his unbeaten 115 helped England chase down 277 at Lord s and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
"It started to really take a bad toll on my own personal health. I couldn t leave it at the ground anymore; it was coming home. It wasn t fair on my family, on people close to me, and it wasn t fair on myself either."
Root, who was been replaced by Ben Stokes, led England in 64 tests, winning 27 and losing 26 during his five-year tenure.
The Yorkshire batsman said he was keen to help Stokes succeed in his new role and make England a test force again.
"I had thrown everything at it and I was determined to help turn this team around but I realised over that time at home that it would have to be in a different way," added Root, who also reached 10,000 test runs on Sunday.
"I m very excited to do that now and to do everything I can to help Ben really turn this team around."
The second test gets underway at Trent Bridge on Friday.
