England quick Mark Wood has paid tribute to Joe Root following his decision to step down as Test captain, admitting the players "let him down quite a bit".
Root resigned as skipper after a poor run of results which saw England win just one of their last 17 Test matches, culminating in a 4-0 thrashing in the Ashes and a disappointing 1-0 defeat to the West Indies. And Wood has said he feels "sorry" for Root, with the 32-year-old doing "everything he could to try and improve the results but it just wasn't happening".
Under Root's captaincy, Wood played 17 Tests and took 55 wickets at an average of 29.94 and the fast bowler praised him for his work "behind the scenes". Speaking on his podcast 'Middle Please, Umpire' , Wood said: "I do feel sorry for Joe. I think it's worth saying that.
"I actually did really well under Joe's captaincy myself. He gave me an opportunity, even with injury, he could have quite easily have said, 'no, that’s enough'. But he's stuck with me and gave me a clear plan.
"I felt like we let him down quite a bit. He was doing so much behind the scenes that people don't see.
"You know, getting coaches trying to change training. He was staying behind when I was batting the net.
"He would stay behind and work on batting with me after his net. He was doing so much with trying to get it right, the culture of the team, he was getting people in to do sessions and he did everything he could to try and improve the results but it just wasn't happening.
"But I'm happy he's made the decision. If it's affecting him as a person behind the scenes at home or with his family, then that's no good.
"I didn't want that to happen to him. I really did believe he would turn it around but it's exciting now having Stokes — I think he will do a great job."
