2 players who can captain England if Ben Stokes is unfit for the 4th Test against Australia

The ongoing Ashes 2023 has been enthralling to watch. Both England and Australia have put in sensational performances and have given endless entertainment to fans. The competition between bat and ball has been right up there in the ranks. 

2 players who can captain England if Ben Stokes is unfit for the 4th Test

England skipper Ben Stokes struggled with his fitness in the third Test of the Ashes 2023. He has been having a problem with his knee, which has kept him away from bowling. The all-rounder bowled in the first two games but didn’t bring himself into the attack in the third game. Stokes, however, struggled when he was batting and was after being seen limping. If he remains unfit for the fourth game, it’ll be a big blow for the team as to who will captain. In this piece, we take a look at 2 players who can captain England if Ben Stokes is unfit for the 4th Test: 

@nassercricket calling Ben Stokes injury a "buttock strain" is spot on – after all, he has been a pain in the ass for Australia! #TheAshes

— Kithmina Hewage (@khewage1) July 7, 2023

Joe Root 

One of the prime candidates who can captain England if Ben Stokes is unfit for the 4th Test against Australia

at Manchester is Joe Root. There will be no better player than Root to lead the team as he was the leader of the team before Stokes took over. The batter has a fair amount of leadership experience and him being the star batter of England can take responsibility in one game. Root has been England’s best batter ever since he made his debut and it’s fair to say that captaincy brings the best out of him, which has been quite evident. Therefore he can take charge if Stokes is unavailable. 

Moeen Ali 

Another player who can captain England if Ben Stokes is unfit for the 4th Test against Australia at Manchester is Moeen Ali. The all-rounder has been leading the white-ball side in the absence of a regular skipper pretty well and has had success as a leader as well. His experience as a captain might come into consideration and tempt management to give him captaincy for one game. Moeen’s Ali ability to contribute equally well with bat and ball puts him in the category of captain of the team. He had retired from Test cricket but ahead of the Ashes was approached by the management and he withdraw his retirement.