England Men’s New Test Captain: The England & Wales Cricket Board has named Ben Stokes skipper of the England Men’s Test squad. He takes over as the 81st skipper of the England Men’s Test team, succeeding Joe Root. Accepting the proposal of England Men’s Cricket Managing Director, Rob Key, the ECB Acting Chair and CEO handed the position on Tuesday.
“I had no hesitation in offering the role of Test captain to Ben,” Key said. “He epitomizes the mentality and approach we want to take this team forward into the next era of red-ball cricket. I am delighted that he has accepted, and he is ready for the added responsibility and the honor. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity,” he added.
Stokes debuted in Test cricket in December 2013 and has since played 79 times for his nation. In February 2017, he was chosen vice-captain, and he also served as skipper while Root had been aside for the birth of his 2nd child in the summer of 2020. Durham’s standout reportedly has 5,061 Test runs at a 35.89 avg. With the ball, he has 174 scalps and is one of the finest all-rounders all across the globe. By the development, Stokes became the 81st Test skipper of the England Men’s team.
“I am delighted that Ben has agreed to become England Men’s Test captain, which is another great achievement in his extraordinary career in an England shirt,” Harrison said. “He cares deeply and passionately about what it means to represent England and he will lead us into a new era with great pride. It’s an important summer for our Test side and Ben will I am sure relish the challenge before him and his team.”
Concerns have been raised regarding Stokes’ workload, as a crucial player in all 3 formats of the game and having a mental health hiatus from the play in 2021. Also, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff both had unpleasant captaincy stints, but Key believes the moment is absolutely great for Stokes to take command.
“We’ve got to manage [his] load. We’ve got to prioritize at times where we think he needs to be playing, and obviously, at the moment that’s going to be Test cricket. But I don’t think we have to overthink this. We’ve just got to make sure he’s in a good frame of mind, that his body’s in good shape, and then we can plan accordingly”, Key added.
