Ben privileged to be picked as England’s new Test captain; expresses gratitute to erstwhile skipper Joe Root ahead of his first Test series against NZ, the country of his birth, in June
All-rounder Ben Stokes speaks with then England captain Joe Root during the first Test against West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at Antigua in March. Pic/Getty Images
Star all-rounder Ben Stokes was named as England’s new Test captain on Thursday, replacing Joe Root, who stood down earlier this month after a string of painful defeats. Stokes, 30, who served as Root’s deputy, was the overwhelming favourite to take charge of a struggling team that have won just one of their past 17 matches. Stokes, whose career is peppered with staggering performances with bat and ball, has been a loyal lieutenant to Root and made a point of praising his friend and predecessor in a short statement.
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‘Joe, a great ambassador’
“I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team. This is a real privilege and I’m excited about getting started this summer. I want to thank Joe for everything he has done for English cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world. He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role,” he said.
Root resigned after five years in charge following a 1-0 series loss in the Caribbean, which came hot on the heels of a humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia. New managing director of England men’s cricket Rob Key told Sky Sports that Stokes was the “obvious choice”. “I just think the time is right for him,” Key said.
Strong leadership quality
“He’s been a leader in that dressing room for a long, long time. He’s been the one that people turned to a lot of the time. He’s a strong leader, he’s got a good cricketing brain. Everything he’s done has got him to this point.” The former England batsman added: “He’s got a hell of a lot of empathy as well.... All of those traits, as well as an outstanding cricket brain, make him the obvious choice.”
Stokes’s first match as the permanent England skipper will come against New Zealand, the country of his birth, at the start of a three-Test series at Lord’s on June 2. He previously captained the Test side in a four-wicket defeat by the West Indies in Southampton two years ago when Root was on paternity leave—his only first-class match in charge. But he has long been regarded as a leading figure in the England dressing room.
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