Captain, leader, legend...
ROOT’S A HUGE STOKES FAN
BEN STOKES is in a leadership league of his own when it comes to Test match captaincy.
And his biggest fan is Joe Root – the last England skipper in the hotseat.
It does not matter that Stokes’ incredible run of success in charge stands in complete contrast with the way that Root’s tenure came to a tepid end.
The former captain is delighted to be back in the ranks and contributing to England’s Test revolution with another score in excess of 150 – his 14th.
Root’s assessment of Stokes, the captain, is most pertinent.
Not only because he did the job most recently.
But because he did it more than any other man before him (64 games), winning more than any other (27), but losing more than any other too (26).
So if anyone knows exactly what the job entails and how tricky it can be at times, it is Root.
The Yorkshireman was called in by his skipper 40 minutes before lunch on day two with 153 not out to his name against New Zealand.
There are not many captains who would have given up the chance to pile on a few more runs.
Stokes gambled that on 435-8 he already had enough and could make some inroads with the ball.
And he was spot-on as James Anderson and then Jack Leach put
England in total control.
Root said: “I just think it was a brilliant call from
Ben.
“It gave us the best opportunity to make the most of those conditions.
“And the way we are playing at the moment, with the best bowler in the world, it just seemed like a brave and attacking option.
“Full credit to Ben for taking it on.
“It would have been very easy for us to keep going.
“If we had, we might not have had them seven down at the end of day two.
“The decisions Ben’s making under pressure, the way that he’s managing the team and his players, is as good as I’ve seen.”
Stokes had made just 27 himself before spooning up a simple catch to extend a run of middling scores.
He has not passed fifty since his hundred against South Africa last summer.
But Root and the ICC’s awards panel are unconcerned by his personal output because of the influence he is enjoying on the whole England team.
There was plenty of disquiet in some corners of the sub-continent when Stokes was named ICC Test cricketer of the year.
Raw numbers suggested he’d had an OK year, rather than an outstanding one.
But Root is crystal clear on what Stokes brings to the table when you consider his impact on the team as captain and the results his side have achieved.
Root said: “He’s doing a brilliant job of getting the best out of himself as a leader. There’s no doubt that his own performances will come.
“He’s that kind of big-game player. In my eyes, there will be a situation where we’ll be up against it and he’ll stand up and deliver.
“Ultimately, I think it’s more important the contributions he’s making as a leader.
“Ben is getting the best out of 10 other players. That, in itself, is massive for this team.”