Ben Stokes appointed as England’s Test captain

LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed the all-rounder Ben Stokes as the new Test captain, international media reported.

Stokes, who was considered the strongest contender for the Test captaincy – after Joe Root resigned from his position – has been appointed as England’s new Test captain.

On this occasion, the newly appointed managing director of ECB Rob Key talked to the media and said that time is right for Stokes.

“I think the time is right for Ben actually, Joe Root’s resignation from the position let the way for Ben to do it. He’s been a leader in that dressing room for a long long time and people turn to him and follow him along with Root when he was doing it,” Key said.

“He’ll be a strong leader. I think he’s got a good cricketing brain, everything he’s done has got him to this point and he’s got a lot of empathy as well, he’s one of those great cricketers who cares about the people around him. He understands why people struggle,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the all-rounder Stokes agreed to captain England in Tests, following his face to face meeting with ECB’s newly appointed director Key, English newspaper The Telegraph reported.

Furthermore, Stokes also wants the veteran pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad to make their comeback into the side.

READ: Stokes accepts captaincy, wants Anderson, Broad back: English Media

Stokes accepts captaincy, wants Anderson, Broad back: English Media

LONDON: England’s world cup winning all-rounder Ben Stokes has agreed to captain the Test side after his meeting with the new director of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – Rob Key, a local newspaper ‘The Telegraph’ reported.

As per the English newspaper, The Telegraph, the all-rounder Stokes has agreed to captain England in Tests, following his face to face meeting with Key. The 30-years-old also wants the veteran pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad to make their comeback into the side.

“Ben Stokes has agreed to be England’s next Test captain after meeting with new director of cricket Rob Key on Tuesday and wants to recall James Anderson and Stuart Broad,” The Telegraph wrote.

“The returns for Anderson and Broad were part of their discussions with Stokes keen for them to play a full role again this summer after they were left out of the West Indies tour,” the report added.

 

Furthermore, The Telegraph also claimed that the newly appointed Key, who is yet to make his first press conference will make the announcement on Thursday at Lord’s during his first media interaction after taking the position of ECB Director.

“Key is due to hold his first press conference on Thursday at Lord’s and could then announce Stokes’s widely anticipated appointment. He is just working through the formal process of appointing a captain,” The Telegraph.

It is pertinent to mention here that former English cricketers including Michael Vaughan, Michael Atherton, and others have also suggested Stokes as the new Test captain after Joe Root opted to step down earlier this month.

Furthermore, Stokes had previously said that he would turn down the offer to captain the side if his friend Joe Root gets sacked. But, with Root, resigning from the position on his own, he became available to accept the role.

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Joe Root steps down as England Test captain

LONDON: England’s right-handed batter Joe Root has decided to step down from the captaincy, following the side’s dismal performance in the recent series against West Indies and Australia.

Root, who captained England in the record 64 Test matches, has decided to resign from his position after his side’s below-par performance in the longest format.

England, currently ranked fifth in the ICC Test Team Rankings have now lost nine consecutive matches with the latest being the 10-wickets defeat against West Indies.

In a statement released by the England Cricket Board (ECB), Root claimed after getting the time to reflect, he made the ‘challenging decision’ of his cricketing career.

“After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England Men’s Test Captain. It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me; I know the timing is right,” the statement quoted Root.

“I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride. It has been an honour to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket,” he added.

“I have loved leading my country, but recently it’s hit home how much of the toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game,” he concluded.

After the horrible Ashes 2021-22 campaign, many former England cricketers slammed Root and asked him to step down from the captaincy but he wished to continue then but has now decided either way.

During his five years as England captain, Root scored 5,295 runs – the most by an English captain – and also hit 14 centuries.

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