England Cricket Vice Captain: Who Is Ben Stokes’ Deputy In Test Team?

The English Test team since Joe Root‘s relinquishment and consequent full-time appointment of Ben Stokes to the captaincy role in April 2022 has not quite seen many bad days. Across the 14 completed Tests so far, they have triumphed 11 times which comprises wins against New Zealand, India, South Africa, and Pakistan.

The discussions have largely been around the Bazball approach which has been England’s success mantra under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. The continued success has meant that despite Stokes dealing with his knee injury for some few months now, there has hardly occurred the need for inquiring about the team’s vice-captain.

However, ahead of the ongoing English cricket summer of 2023, this 25-year-old batter representing the Surrey County side had been appointed England’s full-time vice-captain in the Test format.

England Cricket Vice Captain

England Test team’s designated at No.3 batter, Ollie Pope, had been confirmed as the team’s vice-captain in May 2023 before a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s played earlier this month.

Pope had led England in a few warm-up fixtures in the absence of Stokes, including a three-day warm-up match against England Lions ahead of their tour to Pakistan last year and a two-day warm-up match against New Zealand XI in February this year.

It was only in April this year that Pope had revealed that he has been observing Stokes closely with the way he goes about his duties as captain. “Ever since I did my first bit of captaincy, I’ve been watching Stokesy [Ben Stokes] a little bit closer to see what he does with the bowlers, in the field and how he talks to them. Why not? It’s only going to improve my cricket brain,” Pope had remarked back then.

Who Was England Test Team’s Vice Captain Before Ollie Pope?

Ever since Stokes’ appointment as England’s Test captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had not come up with a name for the side’s vice-captain until May this year.

While Stokes had initially remarked that there are “five or six people” who are among frontrunners for the role, the post remained vacant for more than a year. Thus, the last England Test team’s vice-captain before Pope was Stokes himself, under the captaincy of then England captain Joe Root.