Joe Root quits as England Test cricket captain after 5 years
London (AP): Joe Root stepped down as England's Test cricket captain on Friday, ending his five-year spell in a role that became increasingly challenging because of the team's long run of series defeats -- including 4-0 in the Ashes over the winter.
"I have loved leading my country," Root said, "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."
Root leaves his post holding the record for the number of wins as England Test captain -- at 27 -- while his status as one of the world's leading batters is secure after scoring eight centuries since the turn of 2021.
However, his captaincy has come under scrutiny with England having only won just one of its last 17 Test matches -- the country's worst run since the 1980s.
Losing heavily in Australia, England's biggest rival, was followed last month with a 1-0 series defeat to the West Indies. That made it four series defeats in a row -- and it could be five unless England can beat India in July in the remaining test left over from their unfinished series from last year.
"It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career," said the 31-year-old Root, who took over as captain from Alastair Cook in 2017, "but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me; I know the timing is right."
Root said he wanted to carry on playing for England, for whom he is the country's second highest run-scorer in Tests behind Cook.
It leaves England's men's team not only without a captain, but also a coach and director of cricket after the departures of Chris Silverwood and Ashley Giles, respectively, in the wake of the Ashes.
Ben Stokes will be among the favourites to take over as captain, although the allrounder has just returned to the team after a spell out for mental-health reasons.
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Gold crown gifted by PM Modi to Bangladesh temple stolen amid Durga Puja celebrations
Dhaka, Oct 11: A gold crown gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stolen from a Hindu temple in Bangladesh's southwestern Satkhira district amid Durga Puja celebrations, a theft over which India has expressed concern.
Bangladesh police on Friday said they have identified a man and launched a massive manhunt to recover the gold crown that was stolen from the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple on Thursday.
In a post on 'X', the Indian High Commission in Dhaka expressed deep concern over the theft and called upon the authorities to recover the article and take action against the perpetrators of the crime.
“A massive manhunt is underway to arrest the culprit identified through the CCTV footage,” Satkhira’s police chief Monirul Islam said adding that the police were aware that the issue was sensitive.
The police superintendent said the crown was stolen between 2.47 pm and 2.50 pm on Thursday.
A private news channel showed a young man wearing a white t-shirt and jeans sneaking into the Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple and removing the golden part of the crown and pocketing it while nobody was inside the temple.
A woman worker later discovered that the crown was missing from the head of the Kali statue and raised the alarm.
According to Hindu residents of the neighbourhood, priest Dilip Kumar Banerjee went home as per his daily routine after the afternoon puja, leaving the key of the temple with Rekha who was in charge of the temple services.
“It could be a simple case of theft or it could be a case of an orchestrated plot. We demand the matter be investigated properly and the persons involved be brought to justice,” leader of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council Krishna Mukherjee said.
Modi gifted the crown on March 27, 2021, during his Bangladesh visit.
India expressed concern over the incident with its high commission in Dhaka issuing a statement asking authorities to recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators.
"We express concern over the incident and urge the Government of Bangladesh to investigate the theft, recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators," the High Commission said in a Facebook post.
The theft took place even as the country ordered an extra security vigil as the Hindu community’s biggest religious festival Durga Puja is underway.
📹 Kali Jewel Heist Caught on Camera: Crown Gifted by Modi Stolen from Temple in Bangladesh
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) October 11, 2024
Staff at the Jeshoreshwari Temple in Satkhira reported the silver & gold-plated piece gone on Thursday. (Daily Star)
Indian PM Modi presented it as a gift during a visit in 2021. pic.twitter.com/1cmP21ABdL
