STOKES WILL BE GOOD CAPTAIN, SAYS COACH

Southampton, July 1: England coach Chris Silverwood believes star allrounder Ben Stokes will make up for a great leader when he replaces Joe Root as captain for the first Test against the West Indies starting here on July 8.

Having never led a side in first-class cricket, star all-rounder Stokes will be captaining the national team for the first time in his career when England and West Indies lock horns in the opening Test of the three-match series at the Ageas Bowl.

“I think he will do a great job. He is a talisman, isn’t he? He leads from the front anyway. He is conscious of the people around him as well so I think he will do a great job in Joe Root’s absence,” the England coach Silverwood was quoted as saying by The Guardian newspaper.