Anderson to keep vice-captaincy ahead of Stokes

ENGLAND look set to retain Jimmy Anderson as vice-captain ahead of Ben Stokes for the two Tests against New Zealand. Anderson stepped in as Joe Root’s deputy when Stokes was suspended for the Ashes and impressed. It is unlikely they will go back to Stokes now for the Tests in Auckland and Christchurch when he faces a crown court trial on a charge of affray in the summer. ‘Ben was named as vicecaptain because of what he means to the team but Jimmy did a pretty good job during the Ashes,’ said coach Trevor Bayliss. ‘The vice-captaincy will be spoken about between Joe and myself shortly.’ The handling of Stokes remains a delicate one for England but the vicecaptaincy call will be left to Bayliss and Root. Only if Root has very strong views about restoring Stokes as his deputy will « team director Andrew Strauss be consulted. The threat of possible legal action by Stokes for restraint of trade was one of the reasons England rushed him back on this tour, but it is unlikely lawyers will get involved in the vice-captaincy matter. The bottom line is that if Root should get injured it would not be a good look if Stokes were to lead his country while facing criminal charges. England are delighted with the way Stokes has stepped back into action and he has been fully welcomed by a team who hold no grudges. Stokes has also got off fairly lightly with the crowds, although there were a few comments in Dunedin in the last ODI. ‘Ben would have got a lot more stick in Australia,’ said Bayliss. ‘It’s been a bit easier to sneak back in on this tour.’