Joe Root looks set to be named England captain over Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook
During a long and often emotional press conference in the immediate wake of his retirement from international cricket, Ben Stokes was unequivocal about one thing. The identity of the man who should succeed him as England captain.
“You don’t ask someone to be vice-captain if you don’t think they’ve got the skills and the ability to be able to captain the team when they need to,”
declared Stokes.
“So, if I was asked who I think should do it, I’m throwing my 100 percent support behind Harry Brook.”
It seems that Stokes’ 100 percent support is likely to count for nothing after it emerged that Joe Root is almost certain to lead England into their three-Test series against Pakistan next month. The delay in announcing a new Test captain meant the writing was on the wall for Brook, who served as Stokes’ deputy on the Ashes tour and continued in the job this summer.
After Stokes gave his vice-skipper a big vote of confidence, Brook said:
“It would be an honour and a privilege to be Test captain. It would be the pinnacle.”
But, according to a report on The Athletic, it looks as though Root will take charge for a second stint that could even take in next summer’s Ashes. Root, 35, has led England to more Test wins than any other captain - 27 in 65 matches.
But he also has 27 losses on his record and his first spell in charge ended with a run of one win in 17 Tests. That run was extended to one win in 18 Tests when he stood in for Stokes in the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval earlier this summer and suffered a heavy defeat.
Root is one of England’s greatest-ever cricketers, a character who leads by example, a credit to his country. But if he does take the captaincy reins again, it would be a backward step from the England hierarchy, led by managing director Rob Key.
Harry Brook is captain of England's white-ball teams(Image: Getty Images)
Presumably, the reasons for overlooking Brook are two-fold. One, the memory of him being punished for getting punched by a nightclub bouncer on the eve of a game in Wellington is still relatively fresh.
Two - and this will no doubt be given as the only reason - is that Brook captains the white-ball team and the England and Wales Cricket Board will claim they do not want to overburden him with too big a workload. But that will sound like an excuse rather than a reason.
Ben Stokes believes Harry Brook should be his permanent successor as England captain(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)
Considering Brook has sacrificed franchise cricket abroad - he plays for Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred - he is clearly committed to England and captaining across three formats should not be out of the question. Yes, Brook has often been criticised for what appears to be a cavalier attitude, both on and off the pitch.
But he is 27 years old, has played 38 Test matches, and is one of the leaders in the dressing-room. If the ECB feel he needs more maturity, giving him the Test captaincy would help in that respect.
Whatever his weaknesses, he is a hugely exciting cricketer and if Stokes feels Brook has the right stuff to lead the Test team, then there should be no argument. Instead, as commendable a cricketer and character as Root is, this feels like a backward step.
