Ben Stokes Selects England's New Test Captain After Retirement

Ben Stokes reveals his Test successor [Source: AFP]

Ben Stokes on Sunday announced his shocking international retirement, and the decision came out of nowhere as Stokes was set to continue as England’s leader after the New Zealand series. The legendary all-rounder was involved in a nightclub controversy, and ECB punished him by not selecting him for the second Test vs the Kiwis.

ECB Director Rob Key publicly criticised Stokes, and some feel his statement didn’t go well with the England captain, who announced his retirement during Day 4 of the third Test match.

With the 35-year-old abruptly parting ways with the team, the question arises: Who will succeed Stokes as the next Test captain? Joe Root led the team in the second Test match against New Zealand, but going back to him is not an option for the Three Lions. 

Stokes reveals his Test successor

After his retirement, England fans are worried that the team might not be able to find a quality successor in red-ball cricket, but Stokes already has a name in his head, as he revealed who should be the one to lead England in Tests.

Not so surprisingly, the 35-year-old Durham cricketer has backed Harry Brook to replace him as the Test captain, and he has given Brook his hundred percent support to take over from him.

"There's a reason why he was asked to be vice-captain of this team," Stokes said of Brook. "I know that with all the controversy over the last couple of weeks, there were some decisions that were made [Root leading the team], but those were decisions that I wasn't part of making," Stokes said, as quoted by ESPN.

"You're asked to be vice captain of the team for a certain reason. I was vice captain under Joe for a long time and it's a natural progression. If the captain's not there or unavailable, then he had to do that. So there's absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn't [do it].

"Only time will tell, but you don't ask someone to be vice captain if you don't think that they've got the skills and the ability to be able to captain the team when they need to. So if I was to be asked who I think should do it, I'm throwing my 100% support behind Harry Brook."

England reluctant to make Brook the Test captain

Reportedly, the ECB is not in a hurry to appoint Stokes’ successor in Tests as the board wants to evaluate all possibilities. The board is also reluctant to appoint Brook as the Test captain, as they don’t want to burden him with captaincy in all three formats. 

Also Read: Ben Stokes Announces Retirement From International Cricket After Nightclub Drama

Brook, who has been in charge of the white-ball sides was overlooked for the Test leadership when Stokes missed the second Test. Instead, Joe Root was given the responsibility to lead the side vs New Zealand.

Reportedly, if Brook is appointed as Stokes’ successor, he might step down from one of the ODI or T20I captaincy posts.

How Brook as performed as England captain in white-ball cricket

Ever since getting the white-ball captaincy, Brook’s game has been elevated, and he has performed at his best for England.

He has led England in 17 ODI matches, and the batter has accumulated 850 runs, with an average of 60, showcasing that captaincy brings out the best in him. Similarly in T20Is, the explosive batter has led the Three Lions in 19 matches, and has registered 505 runs, with a strike rate of 167.77.

The burden of captaincy has elevated Brook as a batter, and the English side could be tempted to make him the next Test skipper.

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