Ben Stokes prepared to lead in Joe Root’s absence during Southampton Test

Ben Stokes prepared to lead in Joe Root’s absence: The star English all-rounder is confident about leading England against West Indies.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has expressed eagerness regarding playing Test cricket post the COVID-19 lockdown as England are all set to host West Indies for three Tests starting from July 8.

“I know that cricket is nearly there and I cannot wait to get back out there and have the first – possibly socially distanced – huddle on the field when it is just the 11 of you going into the game together,” Stokes wrote in his Mirror column.

Stokes, who trained with Durhan and England fast bowler Mark Wood after the English players were officially allowed to resume training, acknowledged that achieving an ideal Test match state will require time but remained unperturbed about it.

“Getting properly Test match-ready is going to take a bit of time and that is what our camp at the Ageas Bowl will be for. But I don’t want to be good to go when I rock up there.

“I want to have a few things still to work on to get up to full speed. I have learnt from experience that the time to peak is a day or two before a Test match, not three weeks out,” Stokes wrote.

Ben Stokes prepared to lead in Joe Root’s absence

Earlier, England Test captain Joe Root had nominated Stokes to lead England in his absence as he and his wife are expecting their second child in the first week of July. With Root set to miss the first Test, Stokes sounded prepared with respect to leading England for the first time.

Stokes gave reference of legendary Basketball player Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen while talking about leadership.

“There is a chance our skipper Joe Root may miss a Test this summer because he and his wife are expecting their second child. I’m the Scottie Pippen to Joe’s Michael Jordan. It is his team. But what would be the point of asking me to do the job if not for this kind of situation?

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“I understand where Joe is taking the team and how he wants to lead it. So although I’ll make my own calls on the field and do the job as I see it as the game evolves, everything else will very much be the same as when Joe is there,” Stokes added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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