LONDON – Ben Stokes was appointed as captain of England’s test cricket team on Thursday, taking on the high-pressure role just a few months after returning from a long spell away from the game to protect his mental health.
The all-rounder was the only credible option to replace Joe Root, who quit his position — which he had held for five years — two weeks ago with England having only won one of its last 17 test matches.
It is the first big decision by Rob Key, the former England batsman who was recently hired as managing director of men’s cricket in England in a turbulent period for the national team that is currently without a head coach.
Key said he was sure Stokes was ready to shoulder the burden of the captaincy despite missing most of 2021 to focus on his well-being and also recover from two finger operations. It could mean Stokes plays fewer one-day and Twenty20 internationals, though.
“It’s just something we’ve got to do — we’ve got to manage that load, we have to prioritize at times where we think he needs to be playing. At the moment, that’s going to be test cricket,” Key said.
“I don’t think we have to overthink this. We have to make sure he is in a good frame of mind, his body is in good shape, and then we can plan accordingly.”
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