BEN’S BORN TO LEAD
Root has full confidence in deputy Stokes to star as captain if necessary
JOE ROOT has given a ringing endorsement of the ability of Ben Stokes to step into the captaincy should he be called away on paternity leave this summer.
England’s Test captain could miss the first Test at Southampton on July 8 if his second child is born around the time of the season opener.
But he insisted there could be no better man to lead the team in his absence than the heartbeat of the side.
Root said: “I think if Ben was captain he would be fantastic. One of his great qualities as vice-captain and as a leader is he sets the example.
“It is in the way he goes about his training, how he wants to bowl in difficult circumstances, the way he stands up in different scenarios with the bat.
“He drags people with him and gets the best out of the players around him.
“That’s a great quality to have as a leader and something he can take into captaincy if he was to get the opportunity. I could see him doing a very good job.”
From heartbeat of the side to leader might not sound like a big step but it is one some of England’s most influential cricketers have found beyond them in the past.
Talismanic figures Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham both lost their way when they became captain.
Root was asked if he thought his own match-winning all-rounder would follow suit or buck the trend.
And while he backed him to succeed in the short term, he admitted the role has its pressures.
Root said: “People will always look up to him and want to play for him, whether captain or not. In the short term he’d be a huge success.
“Until you get the opportunity to do it longer, you just never know, it might be a huge success. I wouldn’t put it past him.
“Throughout his career he’s always responded well and Test captaincy is more than just a bit of added responsibility.
“Over time it does take a lot out of you but he’s a very impressive player and man in our dressing room. I’d never say Ben Stokes can’t do anything, he’s pretty much proved that over the course of his career.”
Stokes has insisted it is not a role he craves, citing the pressure of trying to manage a team and maintain high performance levels. But the fact he is in contention to lead England says much about how he has turned around his standing.
Stokes lost the vicecaptaincy in the aftermath of a brawl in Bristol in September 2017 but regained it last summer ahead of the Ashes.
Since then he has reaffirmed his status as England’s box-office star with his one-day World Cup heroics and performances in red-ball cricket last summer.
Root intends to captain the side in the next Ashes in Australia in the winter of 2021-22 and, in keeping with several other stars, he suggested yesterday the enforced break may have given his captaincy a boost.
He said: “I’ve enjoyed it and benefitted from having a bit of time to think about the game as a batter and captain.
“I have thought about the best way to take the team forward and how I will get the best out of myself for the next couple of years. I could see that having a big impact in terms of longevity.
“And, hopefully, that has a positive impact on both sides of my cricket.”
The one time Root attempted to lead in an Ashes Down Under in 201718 he was forced to do so without Stokes by his side and ended up humbled 4-0. With the all-rounder as his deputy he stands a decent chance of avenging
that defeat.