Ben Stokes appointed as England’s new Test captain | Cricket News
Ben Stokes has been appointed the new captain of the England men’s Test team
Ben Stokes has been appointed the new captain of the England men’s Test team, succeeding Joe Root in the role.
New managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key met with Stokes earlier this week and the all-rounder has now agreed to take on the position.
Stokes said in a statement he was “honoured” to become captain, while also thanking Root for the “massive part” he played in his development as a leader.
“I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team,” he said. “This is a real privilege, and I’m excited about getting started this summer.
“I want to thank Joe (Root) for everything he has done for English cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world.
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Ben Stokes’ match-winning four at Headingley was an amazing moment, whichever angle you watch it from
“He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room, and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role.”
Key said he had “no hesitation” in offering the job to Stokes. “He epitomises the mentality and approach we want to take this team forward into the next era of red-ball cricket,” England’s new MD said.
“I am delighted that he has accepted, and he is ready for the added responsibility and the honour. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity.”
Stokes’ first game in charge will be the opening Test against New Zealand at Lord’s from June 2, the first game in a three-match series against the Black Caps which continues at Trent Bridge from June 10 and concludes at Clean Slate Headingley from June 23.
England also face India and South Africa in Test cricket this summer with Stokes, who served as Root’s vice-captain, looking to correct a poor run of results that has seen the Test side lose 11 and win one of their last 17 games.
The 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia over the winter cost head coach Chris Silverwood and managing director Ashley Giles their jobs, while Root quit as skipper weeks after the 1-0 series loss in the West Indies in March.
Tom Harrison, ECB chief executive officer also spoke of his “delight” at Stokes becoming England’s new Test captain, hailing it as “another great achievement in his extraordinary career in an England shirt.”
“He cares deeply and passionately about what it means to represent England and he will lead us into a new era with great pride,” Harrison added.
England have advertised for split head coaches with one person to coach the Test side and another to take charge of one-day international and T20 international cricket.
Stokes takes over from Root as skipper
Stokes captained England for one Test in the summer of 2020, a four-wicket defeat to West Indies at The Ageas Bowl, while Root was on paternity leave.
Ben Stokes takes over from Joe Root as captain of the England men’s Test team
The all-rounder also skippered England to a 3-0 ODI series win over Pakistan at home last summer having taken the reins after a Covid-19 outbreak forced the hosts to select an entirely new squad.
Stokes took a four-month break from cricket in 2021 in order to prioritise his mental wellbeing and rehab a finger injury he sustained while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League earlier that year.
He missed England’s run to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates but returned for the Ashes tour, scoring 236 runs, including two fifties, and taking four wickets across five Tests.
Stokes then struck a superb 11th Test ton in the second Test against West Indies but that was his only knock of note as England lost the series by dint of a 10-wicket defeat in the final game in Grenada.
That loss marked Root’s final game in charge with Stokes now given the responsibility of reviving the Test team’s fortunes.
Stokes’ England successes in Test cricket
Stokes has been capped 79 times by England at Test level, scoring 5,061 runs at an average of 35.89, as well as taking 174 wickets at 32.12 apiece
The 30-year-old made his Test debut in Adelaide during England’s 2013/14 Ashes tour of Australia, scoring his first Test hundred in only his second game, a magnificent second-innings 120 on a wearing WACA pitch in Perth.
Stokes’ highest score in Test cricket was a sensational 258, off just 198 balls, against South Africa in Cape Town in 2016, while his greatest moment in an England shirt was surely his match-winning 135 not out in the stunning Ashes victory over Australia at Headingley in 2019.
Those heroics came hot on the heels of his starring display in England’s World Cup win over New Zealand earlier that summer at Lord’s.
England men’s cricket fixtures for the 2022 summer
Vs New Zealand
First Test (Lord’s) – June 2-6
Second Test (Trent Bridge) – June 10-14
Third Test (Clean Slate Headingley) – June 23-27
Vs Netherlands
First ODI (Amstelveen) – June 17
Second ODI (Amstelveen) – June 19
Third ODI (Amstelveen) – June 22
Vs India
Fifth Test (Edgbaston) – July 1-5 (this game was postponed in the summer of 2021 due to Covid-19)
First T20 international (The Ageas Bowl) – July 7
Second T20 international (Edgbaston) – July 9
Third T20 international (Trent Bridge) – July 10
First ODI (The Kia Oval) – July 12
Second ODI (Lord’s) – July 14
Third ODI (Emirates Old Trafford) – July 17
Vs South Africa
First ODI (Emirates Riverside) – July 19
Second ODI (Emirates Old Trafford) – July 22
Third ODI (Clean Slate Headingley) – July 24
First T20 international (Bristol) – July 27
Second T20 international (Cardiff) – July 29
Third T20 international (The Ageas Bowl) – July 31
First Test (Lord’s) – August 17-21
Second Test (Emirates Old Trafford) – August 25-29
Third Test (The Kia Oval) – September 8-12
