Joe Root chose a beautiful, sunny Good Friday to announce his resignation as England’s cricket captain, with all-rounder Ben Stokes widely tipped to take over though he has suffered from physical and mental health issues.

In the Daily Telegraph, cricket writer Tim Wigmore suggested other possibilities, among them Sam Billings, Rory Burns, James Vince and Stuart Broad. One thing that can be said for Root is that even in the heat of battle, his behaviour was at all times impeccable and that he brought grace and dignity to the game.

This was acknowledged by former England skipper Michael Vaughan: “He still is and will (remain) the game’s best role model for many, many years.”

Root’s county hailed him as an “England and Yorkshire legend”, while England’s ex-wicketkeeper Matt Prior observed, “Root is a great human being first and foremost”.

Root is still only 31, has been in the form of his life as a batsman, and can expect to remain in the England side for the foreseeable future.

In fact, he said: “I am excited to continue representing the Three Lions and producing performances that will enable the team to succeed. I look forward to helping the next captain, my teammates and coaches in whatever way I can.”

On paper at least, Stokes is Root’s obvious successor. He paid tribute to Root: “Been a great ride with you my friend. Watching one of my great mates lead us all out on to the field was a privilege. You have given everything to English cricket and we all want to say thank you for your sacrifices and hard work.”

After losing in the West Indies in March this year, Root, supported by Stokes, indicated he wanted to stay on but on Friday, he announced: “After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England Men’s Test Captain. It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me; I know the timing is right.

“I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride. It has been an honour to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket.

“I have loved leading my country, but recently it’s hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game.”

In the last 12 months or so, Root has been prolific as a batsman, but after registering only one win in the last 17 Tests, several former skippers — from Michael Atherton to Vaughan and even his predecessor, Sir Alastair Cook — urged him to step down.

During the five years that Root has been in charge, England have won 27 Tests, putting him ahead of Vaughan, Cook and Sir Andrew Strauss but he has also lost 26, more than anyone else.

In 2021, England lost 3-1 away to India; lost 1-0 at home to New Zealand; trail India 2-1 in the to-be-concluded home series (the concluding fifth Test will now be at Edgbaston instead of Old Trafford in the first week of July); while in 2021-22, lost 4-0 away to Australia; and 1-0 away to the West Indies.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also pointed out: “After being appointed as Sir Alastair Cook’s successor in 2017, Root led the side to a number of famous series victories, including a 4-1 home series win over India in 2018 and a 3-1 triumph away to South Africa in 2020. In 2018 he became the first England Men’s Captain to win a Test series in Sri Lanka since 2001, a feat he went on to repeat with a 2-0 victory in Sri Lanka in 2021.

“He is already England’s second highest Test run-scorer of all time behind only Cook and scored 14 centuries as Captain. His tally of 5,295 runs as skipper is the highest by any England captain and puts him 5th in the all-time list behind only Graeme Smith, Alan Border, Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli.”

Stokes, his possible successor, did not play when India toured England last year. He took “an indefinite break from all cricket with immediate effect” after struggling with mental health issues. He also suffered pain in his left knee in the West Indies earlier this year. He has been recovering from a side strain that he picked up during the Ashes against Australia. So it is possible the ECB will think carefully before exposing England’s most brilliant all-rounder to the additional stresses of leadership.

Atherton, who is cricket correspondent of The Times, London, said he was not surprised that Root had stepped down. “There comes a moment in every England captain’s life where you realise you’ve given it all and you can’t do anymore. I think it was pretty evident Joe had come to the end of the road.”

As for Root’s successor, Atherton admitted: “There aren’t many. You’ve got to pick someone worth their place in the side. The days are long gone where you could have a Mike Brearley figure, someone who wouldn’t necessarily be the first choice.

“Because of the scrutiny, you’ve got to be worth your place in the side. Ben Stokes is the obvious one, and what helps is that Joe Root has stepped down of his own accord. Ben Stokes is very loyal to Joe and he will feel a lot easier about taking the job if offered given that Root stepped down of his own accord.”

The ECB’s chief executive Tom Harrison said: “I know that every single person who has played or worked under Joe’s captaincy will speak of his integrity and humility as a person, as much as his determination and example as a leader.”