Yorkshire batsman Joe Root is the strong favourite to take over with an announcement expected in the next fortnight, as England build towards the Ashes in Australia at the end of the year.

Cook, England’s leading scorer in Tests with 11,057 runs, became captain in August 2012 and led his country to Ashes glory on home soil in 2013 and 2015 as well as series wins in India and South Africa.

“It’s been a huge honour to be England captain and to lead the Test team over the past five years,” Cook, 32, who intends to carry on playing Test cricket, said in a statement.

“Stepping down has been an incredibly hard decision, but I know this is the correct decision for me and at the right time for the team.”

Cook’s decision to stand down follows England’s 4-0 series defeat in India at the end of last year, which put pressure on him to quit.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said a “proper process” had started to appoint a successor, with the team not in Test action again until July.

Cook, who also led England in a record 69 one-day internationals between 2010 and 2014, is the country’s most capped Test skipper and has scored more Test centuries than any previous captain.

He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2012 and ICC (International Cricket Council) World Test Captain in 2013.

He tendered his resignation to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves on Sunday.

“It’s a sad day personally in many ways, but I want to thank everyone I’ve captained, all the coaches and support staff and, of course, the England supporters and the Barmy Army who follow us home and away and have given us unwavering support,” Cook added.

“Playing for England really is a privilege and I hope to carry on as a Test player, making a full contribution and helping the next England captain and the team however I can.”

England’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss said Cook had made a “fantastic contribution” and “deserves to be seen as one of our country’s great captains”.

“We now move on with the process of appointing the right successor,” Strauss said.

“There are a number of established players who are playing formal or informal leadership roles and whilst we’ve rightly not spoken to anyone in relation to the Test captaincy so far, we can now talk fully and openly within the team.

“We expect to be able to make an announcement before the team head to the West Indies on 22nd February.”

A classically elegant left-handed opening batsman, the square-jawed Cook took charge of the England Test team following Strauss’s retirement from the game in August 2012.

In his first tour as captain he led England to a first series win in India in 28 years, hitting centuries in the first three Tests.

His first Ashes series in 2013 ended in triumph and after a harrowing 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2013-14, England regained the urn in 2015.

Cook oversaw a historic series win in South Africa in 2015-16 and last year England came within one win against Pakistan of topping the ICC Test rankings.

He went 35 Test innings without a century between May 2013 and March 2015, but the milestones have continued to stack up. He was the first England batsman to reach 10,000 and then 11,000 Test runs and sits 10th in the all-time list, 4,864 runs behind the record held by the great Sachin Tendulkar.

Cook’s mentor Graham Gooch, the former England captain, told BBC Radio 5 Live he had tried to convince the Essex man to stay in the role.

“This type of sportsman only comes once in a generation, maybe less,” Gooch said. “He’s a great man and he’s still got great things to do for his country.

But although denied a whitewash, England had already done enough to secure a 2-0 series win after dominant victories by an innings and 88 runs and nine wickets over the Lankans at Leeds and Chester-le-Street respectively.

England now hold Test series trophies against every other major international side except Pakistan, who beat Cook’s men 2-1 in a three-match series in the United Arab Emirates in November last year.

However, they will have a chance to put that right when they face Pakistan in a four-Test series starting at Lord’s on July 14.

“They’ve got a very good (pace) attack, backed up with spinners,” Cook said of Pakistan.

“We’re ready for them. We scored a lot of runs against Australia’s attack here last year — I think it’s going to be a brilliant series.”

While Test specialist Cook prepares for Pakistan, wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow will be looking to take his red-ball form into the intervening five one-day internationals against Sri Lanka.

Bairstow’s recall into England’s one-day squad was announced just as he was being confirmed as both man-of-the-match at Lord’s and the hosts’ overall man of the Test series too.

His 167 not out in the first innings at Lord’s was his Test-best score and came amidst a series scoring-spree that saw Bairstow total 387 runs at an average of 129, with the Yorkshireman also holding 19 catches behind the stumps.

Together with James Anderson, who took 21 wickets at a stunningly low average of 10.80, Bairstow was the central figure of the series.

Bairstow repeatedly helped England recover from top-order collapses against Sri Lanka and Cook likened his contribution to that of retired former England wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

“He’s very similar to Matt Prior… when he was at his best, we could often be 100 for five and he’d change the momentum,” explained Cook.

Hard work

Prior’s wicket-keeping came under intense scrutiny early in his career, especially as England — be it Alan Knott, Bob Taylor or Jack Russell — have long prided themselves on their glovemen.

Bairstow, himself the son of the late former Yorkshire and England wicket-keeper David Bairstow, also found his work in the field being called into question after he floored a couple of seemingly straightforward chances against Sri Lanka.

“Jonny is enjoying both roles,” said Cook.

“He knows how hard he has to work at his keeping — that is a conversation we do have,” added the captain, who has been able to observe Bairstow’s work closely from his position at first slip.

Bairstow, meanwhile, was pleased at maintaining the form he showed in South Africa, where his 150 not out in Cape Town in January gave him a maiden Test century.

“Off the back of South Africa, it was important to start the summer well,” he said.

“I hope this is just the start of something that will be special for a while.”

For Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, the hope is his side, having had time to adjust to English conditions, will raise their game in the white-ball formats.

However, the all-rounder accepted England were a much improved one-day team from the side that Sri Lanka thrashed by nine wickets at last year’s World Cup in Wellington.

“They play positive cricket and you have got to be on your toes and really good to beat England in the ODI series that’s coming up,” Mathews said.

In reply to Australia’s formidable 559 for nine declared on a placid wicket, the Kiwis were 510 for six at stumps, trailing by just 49 runs.

Ross Taylor had emerged from a form slump and scored his second Test double century to be a career-best 235 not out, with Mark Craig on seven.

Williamson became one of the four youngest players to reach 12 Test centuries when he made 166, while Starc bowled what is believed to be the fastest recorded delivery in Test cricket.

Williamson rarely looked troubled in posting his second century in as many matches, before mistiming a pull shot off Josh Hazlewood and was caught at mid-on by Mitchell Johnson to end a record 265-run stand with Taylor, a new benchmark for New Zealand in Tests against Australia.

He faced 250 balls in 390 minutes and hit 24 boundaries.

The 25-year-old made 140 and 59 in the first Test at the Gabba, which New Zealand lost by 208 runs, and continued that form in Perth.

It was his 12th Test century and only three other players have scored as many centuries at the same age — the others being Sachin Tendulkar (16), Don Bradman (13) and Alastair Cook (12).

Williamson has made centuries in five of his last seven Tests against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Australia, and in that time he has scored 1,118 runs at 111.80.

Taylor was a little less sure at the crease and flirted with disaster on a couple of occasions, but recovered to post his 13th Test hundred and looked increasingly comfortable during his innings. It was a welcome performance for the classy Taylor, who has been struggling with form for some time and had not scored a Test century since November last year.

In a game where records have been tumbling with incredible regularity, Taylor posted a new benchmark for visiting players at the WACA and also became the first New Zealander to score a Test double century against Australia.

AFP

The 30-year-old left-handed opener started England’s reply to New Zealand’s first innings 350 on Saturday needing just 32 more runs to surpass Gooch’s mark of 8,900 runs in 118 Tests.
Cook, first coached by ex-England captain Gooch as a schoolboy, reached lunch unbeaten on 27.
Then, to his 13th ball after lunch Cook passed Gooch– whose runs came in four more Tests (118 to 114) – when he square-drove Tim Southee for four to break a record that had stood for nearly 22 years.
Scores at 75.0 overs (Day Two)
New Zealand 1st Innings 350 (72.1) (L. Ronchi 88, T. Latham 84, M. Craig 41, Broad 5-109 )
England 1st Innings 215-2 (A. Lyth 107, A.Cook 75 )
Former England batsman Derek Randall, Cook’s coach at Bedford School, North of London, told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special: “You can imagine as a cricket coach, to have the pleasure of working with somebody like Alastair Cook is very special.
“The first time I saw him on the bowling machine, I couldn’t believe the balance and timing he had. He’s a lovely lad, a very special boy.”
Cook was eventually out for 75, lbw to off-spinner Mark Craig on the sweep after the tourists overturned Indian umpire S. Ravi’s original not out decision to end a first-wicket stand with Adam Lyth worth 177.
The skipper batted for nearly four hours and faced 187 balls including 12 fours.
Cook, speaking on Thursday, insisted he was nowhere near Gooch’s class as a batsman and tried to play down the significance of the landmark.
“It would be a lovely moment. I wouldn’t put myself anywhere near in his class but it would be a great moment,” said Cook.
“If I’m lucky enough to get that it will be a moment I’ll remember but if I am 30 not out it’s important in a game situation I go on and get a big score,” added the left-handed Cook, like the right-handed Gooch an Essex and England opening batsman.
Cook added: “I wouldn’t be here, or anywhere near here, without Goochie’s help, so it will be slightly strange if I do go past his record because without his hard work and dedication to me and my game, I wouldn’t have scored half the runs I would have done.
“It’s a bit of a strange one. But there will only ever be one Graham Gooch. He’s England greatest-ever batsman.”
By going past Gooch, Cook moved up to 13th place on the all-time list of leading run-scorers in Test cricket, where retired India great Sachin Tendulkar remains way out in front with 15,921 runs in 200 matches.

England captain Alastair Cook led from the front with a well-made hundred as the hosts battled back in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on Sunday.

When rain led to an early tea on the fourth day, England in their second innings were 261 for four, a lead of 127 runs.

Cook was 105 not out and Ben Stokes unbeaten on 22.

Together with Joe Root (84), Cook put on 158 for the fourth wicket before the Yorkshireman, for the second time this match, fell within sight of a century.

This was left-handed opener Cook’s second hundred in as many Tests after he ended a near two-year-wait for a Test ton with 105 against the West Indies in Barbados earlier this month.

The 30-year-old’s latest Test century — his first in England since his 130 against New Zealand at Headingley in 2013 — was especially timely after Ian Bell fell to the third ball of Sunday’s play. New Zealand had a first-innings lead of 134, with Kane Williamson making an impressive 132.

England resumed on 74 for two, 60 runs adrift, with Cook (32 not out) and Bell (29 not out). They had not added to their score when, off just the third ball of Sunday’s play, Bell, trying to drive a Tim Southee outswinger, edged high through to Tom Latham, deputising for injured wicket-keeper BJ Watling.

England, in their first match since former captain Andrew Strauss was appointed their director of cricket and with Jason Gillespie reportedly waiting in the wings to replace the sacked Peter Moores as the team’s full-time coach, now badly needed a decent stand between Cook and Root.