Harry Brook keen to take over England Test captaincy from Ben Stokes
YORKSHIRE’S Harry Brook says it would be a “great honour” to succeed Ben Stokes as England’s Test captain and would be ready to unify the role across all three formats.
Just a day on from Stokes’ farewell to international cricket the circus has already moved on, with Brook hot-footing it from Trent Bridge to Chester-le-Street ahead of Wednesday’s first T20 against India.
That kicks off a sequence of eight white-ball matches in 19 days between the sides, with Brook thrown into the thick of it just 24 hours after the end of a month-long Test match tussle against New Zealand.
But he made it clear he is eager to take the baton from Stokes, who personally endorsed him in his final press conference as captain.
“It’s not up to me but if I got offered it then I’d be happy to take it,” said Keighley-born Brook.
“I don’t know yet (if it will happen) but it would be a great honour to do it. It’d be a privilege to captain England in the highest format of our game and the pinnacle. Playing Test cricket is the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and it’s a dream, something I’ve always wanted to do since I could speak.”
Head coach Brendon McCullum stopped short of echoing Stokes by immediately anointing Brook as his preferred choice, but the pair have formed a strong bond in limited-overs cricket and share similar attacking instincts.
It has been suggested that the additional demands of the Test job, which so visibly impacted Stokes, could be balanced by easing Brook’s leadership load in the white-ball arena.
Jacob Bethell was blooded as an alternative option in Ireland last year but Brook suggested he has the appetite to serve across all three formats, citing his established stance of opting not to join any overseas franchise leagues.
It would nevertheless be a huge ask given England’s complicated fixture jigsaw and one that was last attempted by Sir Andrew Strauss, albeit briefly, in 2009.
“I think it would be a tough job, but everything’s tough in cricket. It’s a hard sport,” added the Yorkshireman.
“I’ve committed completely to England cricket. I’ve said I don’t want to play any franchise cricket barring the Hundred.
"Whatever I do, on and off the field, is to try and perform as well as I possibly can for England.
"Hence the reason I don’t play in the IPL and PSL and all the other franchise competitions.”
The only other obvious option to take over from Stokes is Joe Root, who previously held the job from 2017 to 2022 and stepped in when Stokes was deemed unavailable for the Oval Test following a nightclub incident that was subject to a disciplinary investigation.
Root was seen as a safe pair of hands, while Brook’s altercation with a bouncer in Wellington last November made him an awkward fit in what were already difficult circumstances.
“Making Rooty captain that week was definitely the right decision,” admitted Brook.
“He’s been a stalwart for English cricket. The ECB needed him that week and he stepped up.
"My job was to help him as much as possible.”
When asked who his successor should be on Monday, Stokes left everyone in no doubt about how highly he regarded Brook.
“If I was to be asked who I think should do it, I would be throwing my 100 per cent support behind Harry,” Stokes told reporters at Trent Bridge.
“You are asked to be vice-captain for a reason and I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time. It’s the natural progression: if the captain is not there, you step up and there is absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn’t be asked to do that.”
Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue have both been rested for today’s game but will rejoin the squad for Saturday’s match at Old Trafford.