I’LL DO IT MY WAY
Root leaves note giving Stokes free rein as stand-in skipper
STAND-IN skipper Ben Stokes has been given the green light to do the job his way after Joe Root left him a secret note.
Stokes found the handwritten message on the hanger of the England blazer he will wear at the toss today against West Indies in Southampton and said it was the best piece of advice he had received yet. “I haven’t had too much advice but there has been a lot of opinions flying around,” said Stokes.
“The best message that I have received was when I got my photos done yesterday in the blazer. Rooty just left a message on the hanger which said, ‘Do it your way’. It was a handwritten note but not very
well written! I wasn’t really expecting it.
“It was a really nice message to receive and nice of Joe to think about me doing it for the first time.
“There’s been a lot of opinions flying about but that was a really nice thought.”
Full-time England Test captain Root, right, opted to miss the game to be at the birth of his and wife Carrie’s second child.
But he will no doubt be tuning in to see how Stokes fares on his captaincy debut in the first match of the three-Test series. And even though Stokes admitted he would be calling the shots out on the field, he knows he can turn to Root if the need arises.
Stokes added: “Just because Joe is not here doesn’t mean I am not going to use him.
“I know for a fact he will be at home watching and I know that his phone will always be available for me to get in contact with him if I need to.” West Indies skipper Jason Holder reckons his battery of fast bowlers can help him spring a huge Test upset to kick off the resumption of international cricket.
Holder knows his side start as underdogs against an England team who are rarely unseated at home.
But as part of a four-pronged pace attack, also featuring Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach and 23-yearold Alzarri Joseph, Holder reckons his team are coming to the boil at just the right time.
“The practice session we had yesterday for me was one of the best I’ve ever seen in my time playing cricket,” said Holder.
“It was very lively, the fast bowlers ran in and challenged our batters and it only says a lot about the future for these guys. If you look on recent form, our bowling attack is definitely up there.
“Shannon, Kemar, myself and even Alzarri – who has really come into his own in the last couple of seasons.
“We just need to make sure we put the runs on the board for our bowlers to work with.
“We’ve won series, we’ve won Test matches, we’ve beaten top sides in the world.
“This team is really ready for this occasion and we’ve proven in the past that we can win against top sides.”