There are seven weeks to go until the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s and English cricket is without a permanent chair, a managing director of men’s cricket, a head coach, a selector and now a captain. Things may start to move quickly on the managing director front in the coming days, but it is still a remarkable leadership vacuum.
Joe Root’s decision to step down on Good Friday was much like Alastair Cook’s five years ago; a race having been run and the eventual realisation that a fresh voice was required in the dressing room. Similarly, the news was broken via official channels despite both men sharing it with teammates in advance, with the lack of a leak underlining the regard in which they were held.
