England all-rounder Ben Stokes has said that while there will be “a lot of speculation” that he might be given the responsibility to lead the Test side after Joe Root stepped down as skipper, the decision will be taken by the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new managing director Rob Key. Stokes has been heavily linked with the vacant England Test captain’s position and has spoken about the role as well following his friend and teammate’s decision to step down. The 30-year-old all-rounder thinks that it will be a “huge honour” if he gets the opportunity to captain the side.
“I know there will be lots of speculation around who will take over, and clearly as vice-captain and someone who has stood in on a few occasions my name will be strongly talked about,” Stokes wrote in his column for Daily Mirror.
“But all I will say is that it is a huge honour to captain England and whoever does it will get to enjoy that responsibility of trying to take the team forward. The decision will be down to Rob Key as the new managing director of men’s cricket and I’m sure we’ll talk soon enough, as he will with other players and support staff.
“It is an exciting time for us all, at the start of a new era for the Test team. I’m back in the nets now and training ahead of my first game for Durham in the next couple of weeks and I can’t wait,” added Stokes.
