Ben Stokes backs Joe Root to stay on as England captain

Ben Stokes has thrown his support behind Joe Root’s England captaincy, claiming he has no aspiration to replace him in the top job.
Ben Stokes: Vice-captain has backed captain Joe Root to stay in the job for England.Ben Stokes: Vice-captain has backed captain Joe Root to stay in the job for England.
Ben Stokes: Vice-captain has backed captain Joe Root to stay in the job for England.

When Root leads the side out in Sydney on Wednesday he will become the longest-serving Test skipper in the country’s history, overtaking predecessor Sir Alastair Cook’s previous record of 59 matches. But any sense of pride in that achievement will be tempered by the fact that, for the third time, he has just led an unsuccessful Ashes campaign. After a 4-0 defeat in 2017/18 and a 2-2 draw at home in 2019, he now finds his side 3-0 down and hoping simply to avert a whitewash.

After four and a half years in the job, it would hardly be classed as a radical move if either Root or his employers decided it was time for a change. Neither party has given any indication that they are about to pull the trigger on such a move and now vice-captain Stokes, by any reckoning the only obvious replacement, has distanced himself from any talk of succession planning.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He has led the Test team once before, in a losing cause against the West Indies when Root was at the birth of his second child, but does not covet the role.

England's Joe Root during a nets session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. (Picture: Jason O'Brien/PA Wire)England's Joe Root during a nets session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. (Picture: Jason O'Brien/PA Wire)
England's Joe Root during a nets session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. (Picture: Jason O'Brien/PA Wire)

“I’ve never really had an ambition to be a captain,” he said, addressing the speculation.

“Captaincy is more than about setting fields, picking the team, making decisions out there in the middle. A captain is someone you want to go out and play for. Joe Root is someone I always want to play for.

“It’s totally Joe’s decision. He shouldn’t be forced into doing it. I’m sure Cooky felt the same way. He did it for so long and when he knew his time was up, his time was up. Those discussions haven’t entered anywhere near Joe yet.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I don’t sense that at all with Joe. He’s brought this team a long way. He’s done some great things. Obviously this series hasn’t gone too well, not from a captaincy point of view, but from a team and results point of view.”

Stokes also used his considerable position of influence to firm up head coach Chris Silverwood’s position. There is a sense that he is a likelier fall guy than Root when post mortem concludes, but Stokes went out of his way to counter that narrative.

“Unfortunately, the captain and coach bear the scrutiny for (results), but there are 10 other guys out there in the field,” he said.

Ashes build-up: Page 5.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.