England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced all-rounder Ben Stokes as the captain of England’s Test side on Thursday (April 28). There were speculations on Stokes being the successor of Root as the swashbuckling left-hander has served as Root’s deputy for long and the official announcement has finally come via England Cricket’s official Twitter handle.
England Cricket’s Twitter post comprised Stokes’ image and wrote ‘Congratulations to our new Men’s Test captain’.
Congratulations to our new Men’s Test captain, @benstokes38! 🏴🏏
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 28, 2022
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The news came after ECB’s new managing director Rob Key announced the same in his first press conference since taking over his new role. As per reports, Rob was in talks with Stokes this week before the duo came to an agreement. Stokes has been a regular for England in Tests and remains one of their key performers.
The 30-year-old Stokes has amassed 5,061 runs and also accounted for as many as 174 scalps in the purest format. His aggression on the field and passion for the format are expected to benefit the national side in whites.
Stokes’ first assignment as England’s Test captain will be in their forthcoming two-match Test series versus inaugural WTC champions New Zealand at home, starting from June 02. England will hope for Stokes to revamp the side post their recent horror shows — in Ashes 2021/22 and West Indies tour — and take the Test line-up forward.
