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Joe Root backs Alastair Cook to stay England captain

Joe Root says that he hopes Alastair Cook stays on as England captain after the Ashes.

England batsman Joe Root has said that he wants Alastair Cook to be captain for "a long time" following their Ashes success.

Reports have suggested that Cook will stand down as captain after this series, like his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke, but Root has given him his backing to continue.

He told Sky Sports News: "As far as captaincy is concerned, Cooky has done exceptionally well. He's just won the Ashes for the second time in three attempts, so I hope he'll be in charge of us for a long time.

"He has been a fantastic captain throughout the series and throughout this summer, as he was before that. There have been times when we haven't backed him up, but thankfully this series we have - and we hope that will continue."

Cook will lead England into the fifth Test of the series in two weeks.

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Charlie Bennett
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Stuart Broad celebrates the wicket of Mitchell Johnson on the first day of the Fourth Test of The Ashes on August 6, 2015
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