The England allrounder Ben Stokes has been named the new captain of the England test cricket team, replacing Joe Root who recently stepped down from his position after a 0-4 defeat in the Ashes and a 0-1 defeat in the test series against West Indies as well.
England did achieve some great victories under Joe Root, which included a test series win in South Africa and two test series wins in Sri Lanka, but the pressure was mounting on him as he failed to deliver results against bigger test playing nations like India, Australia and New Zealand.
Against India, England didn’t just lose a test series away from home under Root’s captaincy, they then trailed by 1-2 in a test series in their own backyard as well, before the series was postponed. And then a 0-4 shambolic performance in the Ashes down under almost ensured that Root would have to go.
Ben Stokes seemed disinterested in captaincy till Joe Root was in charge
Ben Stokes had not shown too much interest in England’s test captaincy till the time Joe Root was in charge, which was understandable as he shared a great relationship with Root, but once Root stepped down and Stokes was offered the job by ECB’s new managing director of cricket, Rob Key, the allrounder accepted the job.
This home summer is going to be the first assignment of Ben Stokes as the New England captain and one test match that is left from the India series, which was postponed due to COVID, will also now be played under his captaincy.
India will also have a new captain in Rohit Sharma as they will travel to England to complete the series. When the series started last year, Joe Root and Virat Kohli were in charge of the England and the Indian test team, respectively.
Here is how Twitter reacted after Ben Stokes was confirmed as the 81st test captain of England by the England Cricket Board (ECB) earlier today –
Go well Stokesy! @benstokes38 🤍 pic.twitter.com/4oXU6OD1Dh
— Navya #WhistlePodu #AavaDe (@SweptForASix) April 28, 2022
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See Stokes being nominated captain an absolute disaster if I'm being honest, but very willing to be proved wrong.
Then again, who's the alternative?
Advertisement— Chris Stonadge (@ChrisStonadge) April 28, 2022
Ben Stokes' Numbers
AdvertisementMatches – 214
Runs – 8374
SR – 96.53
50s – 47
💯S – 14Being smashed for 4 sixes in WT20 final to make England champion of WC 2019 with his heroics. He never gave up & now we will see him in the new role, England have appointed Stokes as their Test captain. pic.twitter.com/x5xeHyLKt6
— Ahmad Haseeb (@iamAhmadhaseeb) April 28, 2022
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Ladies and Gentle man meet the new England test Skipper.
Benjamin Stokes.
Hope you'll do wonders for England Stokesy!!@benstokes38#BenStokes pic.twitter.com/TKzAzBmxTL— Cricwas (@Cricwas) April 28, 2022
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Congratulations Stokesy On Becoming The Captain Of England Cricket , This Journey Has Been So Long For You . May You Shine A Lot ,Always With You ❤ @benstokes38 @ECB_cricket @DurhamCricket #stokes pic.twitter.com/MBz3FGD5qw
— Yashveer Singh (@Itsveer18) April 28, 2022
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Boris Johnson endorses Ben Stokes's appointment as 🏴 captain. Spokesman says "it is an appointment he backs wholeheartedly", adding: "The prime minister is confident he will lead England men's team back to the place it should be."
— Hugo Gye (@HugoGye) April 28, 2022
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So it is Stokes who is the new leader of England! To be frank, there was no alternative. Could he be the bold and aggressive new helmsman who can transform English Test cricket and maintain the nation's strength in short-forms? From punch up king to national captain in 4 years.
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) April 28, 2022
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#Stokes new #England Captain…. biggest mistake you could ever imagine… our best player doesn't need that extra burden of responsibility pic.twitter.com/3xiT5GSLvp
— Mark Pilkington (@MarkPilkington1) April 28, 2022
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Love Ben Stokes but this smacks of continuity captain, and I worry how much it’ll take out of his game.
Hoping to proven wrong though!— Craig Lewis (@Craig_Lewis77) April 28, 2022
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Stokes's acquired a weak team, if he can fix this terrible side, undoubtedly he'll be known as one of the finest Test skipper else it'll hamper his natural game & Media will put unnecessary pressure. Looking forward to a successful reign as Cap. Not a difficult job to top Root. https://t.co/AZGWcNO9Vp
— Tukun (@SuvTK7) April 28, 2022
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