Alastair Cook had captained England for 59 Tests. Alastair Cook had captained England for 59 Tests.

Former England captain Alastair Cook, who had captained England for 59 Tests, has claimed that he has no regrets after relinquishing the England captaincy. However, he revealed that during the recently concluded first Test at Lords, he did have a mixture of emotions as he saw current captain Joe Root walk down the aisle for the toss.

In a recent interview, Cook said, “I am happy with my decision,” Cook said. “The only bit was seeing Rooty walk down the stairs in his blazer and working out you will never do that again.

“The shock was when Ben Stokes told me to move fielding positions. That was when I realised that life was different. He told me to swap with Jimmy because he thought Jimmy would be better in that position. So not only did I have Jimmy gloating at me but Ben Stokes telling me where to move.

“It was different. More the first couple of days of preparation, having spent three or four years being the focal point of decisions. Even when the 12-man squad was announced, I forgot the thought and effort that went into that. It is very different to being captain.

“But I have done my bit. I gave everything to the role and I move on from it. Let’s get behind Joe.”

Lauding Joe Root for his brilliant captaincy, Cook said, “It was a great week for English cricket.” In an interview with Sky Sports, he further added, “I am really pleased for him. He had a horrible cold all week, but I thought he was outstanding. When he did speak in the dressing room his messages were very clear. The confidence he will have got from last week, it is always important to start well.

“He got the monkey off his back in terms of getting a big score early on in your captaincy career, which stops everyone talking about captaincy affecting your batting. I think all in all he will have gone to bed Sunday night a very happy man.” he concluded.

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