[VIDEOS] Ben Stokes named England Men’s Test Skipper: captaincy watch thread

[MenInG]

Durham’s Ben Stokes has been appointed captain of the England Men’s Test team by the England & Wales Cricket Board.

He succeeds Joe Root in becoming the 81st captain of the England Men’s Test team. The ECB Interim Chair and Chief Executive Officer approved the appointment on Tuesday evening following the recommendation by the Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key.

Commenting on the appointment, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said:

“I had no hesitation in offering the role of Test captain to Ben.

“He epitomises the mentality and approach we want to take this team forward into the next era of red-ball cricket. I am delighted that he has accepted, and he is ready for the added responsibility and the honour. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity.”

Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said:

“I am delighted that Ben has agreed to become England Men’s Test captain, which is another great achievement in his extraordinary career in an England shirt.

“He cares deeply and passionately about what it means to represent England and he will lead us into a new era with great pride. It’s an important summer for our Test side and Ben will I am sure relish the challenge before him and his team.”

Stokes made his Test debut in December 2013 and has represented his country on 79 occasions at this level. He was named vice-captain in February 2017 and also stood in as captain when Root was absent for the birth of his second child in the summer of 2020. The Durham star currently has 5,061 Test runs at an average of 35.89. He has taken 174 wickets with the ball and is amongst the best all-rounders in the world.

England Men’s Test Captain, Ben Stokes, added:

“I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team. This is a real privilege, and I’m excited about getting started this summer.

“I want to thank Joe (Root) for everything he has done for English Cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world. He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room, and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role.”

Stokes will speak to media outlets next week in Durham.

 

[James]

Stokes being chosen as The Man is an understandable move but would not have been my preference…

I would have brought back Anderson and Broad as Stokes will, but actually appointed Broad as captain, and blooded somebody else for the long term leadership role in the meantime (with this person being made vice-captain for now).

Having the star all-rounder as the captain is a proven high-risk move!

What will be will be, they are all clearly sure about their decision so let’s see what happens.

 

[Firebat]

Interesting move, but don't think there was a clear or obvious candidate. He's definitely the player that performs in the pressure situations and puts his 110% into every second of a match, a good attitude to lead from the front with.

 

[Mamoon]

Stokes rewarded for putting himself above the team by opting out of the Indian series last summer and also the World T20 - two extremely crucial events for English cricket.

Stokes’ commitment to the game is questionable. Once bitten, twice shy. Who can guarantee that he won’t play the mental health card after a couple of heavy defeats and walk away.

It was a mistake to sack Root. England’s Test team was not held back by his tactics but by the lack of Test quality players coming through the ranks.

Root was scapegoated. He was an easy target because ECB are not ready to concede that they have allowed County Cricket to rust and it needs a major shakeup.

Replacing him with a quitter like Stokes will not improve anything as long as Test quality players are not coming through.

Root has the most Test wins and defeats as England captain. This means that he is a good captain who had a bad team, and they way he defied his critics who thought he couldn’t bat well while captaining the side was very impressive and brave.

He has always been there for England and doesn’t carry this mental health baggage either. In spite of all that he went through first as a batsman with his lean patch and then as captain, not once did he demand a rest and was always committed to play for England. This is how he has been rewarded.

This notion that Root “resigned” is a joke. ECB should not insult our intelligence. Root was committed to continue as captain and oversee the overhaul of the squad, but he was constantly pressurized by ex-players who scapegoated him as an easy target and he was basically asked by ECB to walk away because a player of his stature and a player with his services did not deserve to be publicly sacked.

A shameful and sad day for English cricket.

 

[Firebat]

Assessing the evidence: What sort of England Test captain will Ben Stokes be?

New England Test captain Ben Stokes has a big job on his hands, but does come into the role with some England leadership experience already under his belt.

Stokes takes over an England side ranked fifth in the ICC Men’s Test Rankings and placed bottom of the current ICC World Test Championship Standings.

And the 30-year-old has limited captaincy experience to fall back on as he looks to turn England’s Test fortunes around.

But there are some indicators as to the sort of captain Stokes will be, with the all-rounder having stepped in to skipper England on four previous occasions in different formats.

We look at how the team fared under Stokes’ stewardship, and what that could tell us about his captaincy style.

1st Test v West Indies, July 2020 – England lost by four wickets

With Joe Root absent for the birth of his second child, Stokes stood in as captain for the sole previous time in Test cricket, and oversaw a four-wicket defeat, the team’s only Test loss of a Covid-impacted summer.

The match will be remembered as much for the decision to leave out a disgruntled Stuart Broad in favour of Mark Wood’s high pace as for the result. And while the call ultimately proved unsuccessful, with Wood the least impactful of the fast bowlers taking 2/110 across both innings, it showcased Stokes’ willingness to make bold calls.

England’s attack of James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Wood, Stokes and Dom Bess bowled collectively well in Southampton, with the batters arguably more to blame for the loss. None of England’s batters passed 50 in a first-innings of 204 all out, and none of the top six kicked on to a century in the second innings despite all getting starts.

Stokes made a couple of other decisions that showcased his ability to go against the grain, opening the bowling with Archer and moving Zak Crawley down to bat at No.4. Crawley’s 76 in that role was England’s highest individual score of the match, and he has not batted as low as four again in his 21-Test career so far.

The stand-in skipper also showed an ability to impact the game with bat and ball while leading, scoring 40s in both innings and taking six wickets in the match, more than any other England bowler.

ODI Series vs Pakistan, July 2021 – England won 3-0

Stokes led England to a series whitewash of Pakistan in remarkable circumstances, taking charge of a makeshift squad after the entirety of the previous group was ruled out due to Covid regulations just days before the start of the series.

Stokes returned early from a broken finger and later revealed he was in great pain throughout a three-match series in which he contributed little with bat or ball.

But his captaincy was full of attacking intent, with aggressive field placings and creative bowling changes seeing a new-look England attack bowl Pakistan out cheaply in the first two matches.

And even when faced with a daunting chase after a Babar Azam century in the final match, Stokes’ side played with fluency to reach the target of 332 with two overs still remaining.

To lead a cobbled together side to a clean sweep against a team of Pakistan’s calibre showed a flair for captaincy that bodes well for Stokes’ future in charge.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2594107

 

[MenInG]

James Anderson and Stuart Broad are "available for selection" in the Test team, with new captain Ben Stokes keen for the pair's return, Rob Key has told Sky Sports.

Anderson, 39, and Broad, 35, have 1,177 wickets in Test cricket between them but both were left out of England's tour of the West Indies earlier this year, leading to questions over their future.

But when asked whether Broad and Anderson will feature for England this summer, Key told Sky Sports News: "Yeah, they will.

"Before it got announced I was doing this job, I rang them up and said to both of them that - in my opinion - you're both available for selection.

"'I can't promise you you're going to play, all that type of stuff, you're just available for selection'. Then Ben Stokes was very clear on the fact he wants Jimmy and Broady to come back in.

Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key says Ben Stokes was the stand-out candidate to become Test captain and the timing was right to appoint the all-rounder

"Now, it will be purely be done on what is the best eleven to win that first Test match, nothing more and nothing less. If they're in that, which is every chance they will be because they're two great bowlers, then they'll play."

Key added that both were keen to be back involved: "They were fine. They just want to continue on this journey they've been on and they just didn't want it to finish in the way that it possibly might have done.

"They were obviously both very happy and pleased to be up for selection for that first Test match."

Stokes will lead the team out for the first time as captain for the opening Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord's from June 2, the first game in a three-match series against the Black Caps which continues at Trent Bridge from June 10 and concludes at Clean Slate Headingley from June 23. England also face India and South Africa in Test cricket this summer.

Check out this Ben Stokes bowling masterclass - his 6-36 against Australia at Trent Bridge during The Ashes and his 6-22 against West Indies at Lord’s.

It is not yet known, however, who will be England's new head coach for those games, other than the fact the role will be split, with two appointments made to cover red-ball and white-ball cricket respectively.

Key said there are "lots of exciting options" for the role, adding no-one was yet out of the running but nor has he settled on any preferred candidates.

"We just want the very best people," Key said. "We'll do that and then we'll build the structure around it.

"There are people who have applied from the job and, from what I've seen, there are lots of exciting options.

"I'm doing my digging on people now and I'm going around looking. There's a lot of people I know in English cricket and world cricket. My job at the moment is just to try and work out a little bit about the ones I don't know so much about, then see who I think is suitable to do that role."

Former South Africa and India head coach Gary Kirsten is rumoured to be one of the favourites for the job leading the Test team, while Justin Langer - who led Australia to T20 World Cup glory and a 4-0 Ashes win over England over the winter - is another touted as a contender.

"There are a lot of people who people are writing about," Key added. "Every morning I think I wake up and see who I've supposed to have been talking to.

"I think Gary Kirsten would be very good at that job. I think all of the names I've seen in the papers would be good if they got the chance to do it, it's just finding out who the best is.

"I'm sort of looking at everyone around, I haven't spoken to people yet. I'm just doing the digging on these to see exactly what they're like as coaches.

"No-one is out of the running so far and it's for me - and the people I trust - to try and work out who the best is.

"To work with Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and whatever is going to happen with white ball cricket, two very different sides, it's up to me to decide who the best is to lead England forward."

SKY

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thanks for all the messages, proud day for me and my family. I love playing cricket for England, see you at Lord’s <a href="https://t.co/AvgN4DDLah">pic.twitter.com/AvgN4DDLah</a></p>— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) <a href="https://twitter.com/benstokes38/status/1519664866230943745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Markhor]

Stokes rewarded for putting himself above the team by opting out of the Indian series last summer and also the World T20 - two extremely crucial events for English cricket.

Stokes’ commitment to the game is questionable. Once bitten, twice shy. Who can guarantee that he won’t play the mental health card after a couple of heavy defeats and walk away.

It was a mistake to sack Root. England’s Test team was not held back by his tactics but by the lack of Test quality players coming through the ranks.

Root was scapegoated. He was an easy target because ECB are not ready to concede that they have allowed County Cricket to rust and it needs a major shakeup.

Replacing him with a quitter like Stokes will not improve anything as long as Test quality players are not coming through.

Root has the most Test wins and defeats as England captain. This means that he is a good captain who had a bad team, and they way he defied his critics who thought he couldn’t bat well while captaining the side was very impressive and brave.

He has always been there for England and doesn’t carry this mental health baggage either. In spite of all that he went through first as a batsman with his lean patch and then as captain, not once did he demand a rest and was always committed to play for England. This is how he has been rewarded.

This notion that Root “resigned” is a joke. ECB should not insult our intelligence. Root was committed to continue as captain and oversee the overhaul of the squad, but he was constantly pressurized by ex-players who scapegoated him as an easy target and he was basically asked by ECB to walk away because a player of his stature and a player with his services did not deserve to be publicly sacked.

A shameful and sad day for English cricket.

I'm sure you would be as forgiving, empathetic and understanding if a Pakistani Test captain oversaw 1 win in 17 Tests.

Give us a break.

The structural issues in County Cricket are the root cause (no pun intended) of England's woes, but no captain of any non-minnow Test nation would've survived after such a dismal run of results.

To be clear, Root is a wonderful batsman and a top human being, probably too nice to be a captain. I feel sorry it's ended this way.

But there's no use blaming ECB when you can't do the basics of captaincy by repeatedly misreading conditions and making tactical errors. Playing four seamers and only one specialist spinner on a square turner in Ahmedabad, leaving out Anderson and Broad on a greentop in Brisbane, bottling a doable runchase in the 1st Test vs NZ at Lord's, overbowling Archer in NZ and Stokes in WI, and persisting with bowlers with horrible overseas records like Chris Woakes and Craig Overton was criminal.

After 5 years as captain, England languish at the foot of the WTC table. If you don't change captains now, then when do you ?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Let's get real here, there was no way Root was holding onto the job after the atrocious run of form England were on. Was he scapegoated to some extent? Probably. But to say Root bears no responsibility for England not winning a single test match out of 17 consecutive ones is laughable.

I respect Root for taking responsibility for the team's failure and resigning. He was not a particularly bad captain, but he was not a particularly great one either. There was nothing about his captaincy that showed he was especially astute tactically. The ones who are (Fleming, McCullum, Morgan, Williamson) always manage to build a reputation organically. He wasn't some kind of an inspirational figure either.

When Root was brought in 5 years ago there were big expectations from him to build a new England and different England side. But 5 years later that is not exactly the case. During his reign England failed to win a single Ashes (home or away), they lost their first series at home since 2014, they never got anywhere close to the No.1 ranking and on top of that they had embarrassing series defeats in West Indies (twice), India, New Zealand (also twice).

There were many successes too but the end of the day, fact of the matter is that not only did England go under one of their worst stretches of form under his watch, ever but he also failed to build a new and better England side.

I don't know if Stokes will be everything England hope he will be as captain. But after 5 years of Root's captaincy that failed to accomplish much of anything its time for England to move on.

 

[Maher96]

A wise choice by Rob Key to start his tenure, no nonsense business. Made the most established player in the dressing room the captain.

England need to fight and work like a team again they posses enough talent. Just seen that priorities for many of their star players lied elsewhere.

Once they play with the same energy some play foreign leagues they will be good at bilateral cricket too.

 

[Usman]

Stokes being chosen as The Man is an understandable move but would not have been my preference…

I would have brought back Anderson and Broad as Stokes will, but actually appointed Broad as captain, and blooded somebody else for the long term leadership role in the meantime (with this person being made vice-captain for now).

Having the star all-rounder as the captain is a proven high-risk move!

What will be will be, they are all clearly sure about their decision so let’s see what happens.

Your strategy works if there was a single young player in that dressing room who had established his place in the team and who could therefore be appointed vice captain. Unfortunately that just isn’t the case. Apart from Stoles and Root, nobody has a secure place in this team.

For all of Anderson’s greatness and no matter how many wickets Broad has taken, it remains a fact that both owe much of their success down to playing their careers in helpful English conditions. So selecting Broad as captain may have been fine at home, but what would England do on their first overseas tour under his leadership when he can’t buy a wicket? Broad’s place in this team is not secure and justifiably so.

You just can’t appoint captains who aren’t certain to keep their place no matter where the game is played. Appointing Stokes is no gamble at all - whether he succeeds or fails, there were literally no other credible options on the table.

 

[gazza619]

Stokes being chosen as The Man is an understandable move but would not have been my preference…

I would have brought back Anderson and Broad as Stokes will, but actually appointed Broad as captain, and blooded somebody else for the long term leadership role in the meantime (with this person being made vice-captain for now).

Having the star all-rounder as the captain is a proven high-risk move!

What will be will be, they are all clearly sure about their decision so let’s see what happens.

I agree with you. Broad or even Bairstow would have been my man.

 

[James]

Warming slightly to this idea now.

Let’s see how Ben does.

 

[James]

<b>Former England skipper Michael Atherton considers Ben Stokes to be a shorter-term option as captain of England's Test team.</b>

Stokes became England's 81st Test captain on Thursday, replacing Joe Root, who resigned from the position earlier this month and remains the most successful Test captain of England in terms of number of matches won.

Atherton, who captained England for 54 Tests between 1993 and 2001, feels Stokes should not be a "long-term pick", saying that the demanding Test captain's role "wears down" even the toughest of characters.

"It would be a mistake to imagine Stokes as necessarily a long-term pick. Having seen the way the job wears down even the toughest and flintiest of characters, there is no need for the same to happen to Stokes," Atherton wrote on his column for The Times, as quoted by Mirror.co.uk.

Atherton added that Stokes should lead England for a shorter window of time, opining that the all-rounder can contribute more as an all-rounder.

"Let him give the job his all for a short period of time, hoping to help transform attitudes and approach, and then step away while he has more to give as a player," he wrote.

Stokes, who has played 79 Tests for England, has scored more than 5,000 runs and taken 174 wickets.

Following his appointment as England’s Test captain, Stokes said: "I am honoured to be given the chance to lead the England Test team.”

“This is a real privilege, and I'm excited about getting started this summer"

Stokes also thanked his predecessor, Root, for everything he has done for English cricket.

I want to thank Joe (Root) for everything he has done for English Cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world.”

“He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room, and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role," he had said in an official statement.

<I>NDTV</I>

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

Sad for Root. A decent nice guy who plays in the spirit that u'd want ur kid to play.
Sad that last few years, he had some average performers and he had to resign. and like someone above pointed out, its more the failings of the eng county system that failed to produce good red ball cricketers.
So its stokes, am sure he will bring energy to the team. Being an allrounder he probably has a lot on his plate with the captaincy, but then that is what greatness brings with.
Maybe this will unleash root and he might have even a bigger monster year than 2021

 

[James]

<b>Ben Stokes: England captain can mould Test team in absence of head coach, says Michael Atherton</b>

Ben Stokes will speak to the media for the first time as England's new Test captain on Tuesday morning; Michael Atherton: "If there is no coach in there, it will be a chance for Ben to absolutely grab hold of it, mould the team and say this is the way we're going to run things"

Ben Stokes will address the media for the first time as England's new Test captain on Tuesday, with Michael Atherton excited at the prospect of the talismanic all-rounder moulding the team in his image.

Atherton, who captained England 51 times between 1993 and 1998, described Stokes as "the obvious choice" to succeed Joe Root in the role following his appointment last Thursday.

Stokes' first game in charge will be against New Zealand at Lord's from June 2, the first game in a three-Test series against the Black Caps.

Rob Key, the new managing director of England men's cricket, said he is "optimistic" a new head coach will also be in place ahead of first Test of the summer, but Atherton does not believe that is essential.

"Ben Stokes will be his own man; he has got a chance to shape that team now and take it in a different direction," Atherton told Sky Sports News.

"There may not be a coach in place in time. These things go through a process; I think May 6 is when job applications close and June 2 is the first Test match. That's quite tight.

"That's not a bad thing in my view. I don't think since Sir Andrew Strauss that an England captain has really grabbed hold of a dressing room."

Atherton pointed to Stokes' reintegration into the Test side in 2015 after a spell out due to form and fitness, which saw him thrive in the first two Tests of the summer against New Zealand under interim coach Paul Farbrace.

The appointment of Trevor Bayliss was announced midway through that drawn series, one in which Stokes smashed the fastest-ever Test century at Lord's, from 85 balls - as well as a first-innings 92 - and claimed three wickets in a match-winning performance in the first Test.

Atherton added: "If there is no coach in there, it will be a chance for Ben to absolutely grab hold of it, mould the team and say 'this is the way we're going to run things.'

"When Farbrace was interim coach before Bayliss came in, that was actually when Stokes came back into the side, so it's not a disaster if a coach is not in place by June 2."

<b>’Right call to split coaching roles'</b>

As for who should be the man to eventually lead the England Test team going forward, Atherton could not be drawn on a name, though he did add that he was pleased to see England looking to make two appointments - in red-ball and white-ball cricket.

"Who should it be? My goodness, all of the candidates that have been talked about are very good. Gary Kirsten is a very good candidate, Simon Katich an excellent candidate. There will be any number of people.

"It's the right thing though to split, or look to split, the job. Years ago I said on Sky that England needed to consider split coaching roles.

"You look at the schedules now, they are so crammed, it's very difficult for one man to do everything.

"In the middle of the summer, England will be in Amsterdam for some one-day internationals in the middle of a Test series. How does one man plan for that? It's impossible.

"Last year when England were in Dubai playing the T20 World Cup, the Ashes were coming up two weeks later. Impossible.

"Looking to split responsibilities is exactly the right way to go. Two distinct coaching staffs for Test cricket and limited-overs cricket, that will make life much easier."

https://www.skysports.com/amp/crick...n-absence-of-head-coach-says-michael-atherton

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome back <a href="https://twitter.com/benstokes38?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benstokes38</a>! &#55357;&#56394; <br><br>Watch him in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LVCountyChamp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LVCountyChamp</a> LIVE <a href="https://t.co/oozKHPESC6">https://t.co/oozKHPESC6</a> <a href="https://t.co/Eq9jgnUBCk">pic.twitter.com/Eq9jgnUBCk</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1522522598080450561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[sweep_shot]

Good decision.

He is the best man to lead England currently.

 

[James]

Almost got the fabled “six 6’s in an over” today.

First five balls went for 6… then an aerial 4

Not a bad player this lad!

 

[Bewal Express]

Almost got the fabled “six 6’s in an over” today.

First five balls went for 6… then an aerial 4

Not a bad player this lad!

The kid he hit will also play for England in limited overs cricket. I have known the lad since he was 8 and he is a very accurate bowler.

 

[gazza619]

Not a good decision this.

Stokes has a history of injuries, bad behaviour and depression

 

[James]

Not a good decision this.

Stokes has a history of injuries, bad behaviour and depression

I am unsure of what will happen but hopefully he has now turned a corner.

 

[Gilly]

I am unsure of what will happen but hopefully he has now turned a corner.

This will blow up in the ECB's face, the captain sets the tone for the team and Stokes is a hot head with issues. Having Stokes as the face for English cricket is a poor move. ECB got railroaded by the media.

 

[James]

This will blow up in the ECB's face, the captain sets the tone for the team and Stokes is a hot head with issues. Having Stokes as the face for English cricket is a poor move. ECB got railroaded by the media.

Yes, you might be right.

It is a high risk move.

 

[gazza619]

This will blow up in the ECB's face, the captain sets the tone for the team and Stokes is a hot head with issues. Having Stokes as the face for English cricket is a poor move. ECB got railroaded by the media.

Yes, you might be right.

It is a high risk move.

They could have easily given the captaincy to Broad for the next 2 years, but hey common sense aint very common these days.

 

[James]

They could have easily given the captaincy to Broad for the next 2 years, but hey common sense aint very common these days.

This was my recommendation. I tweeted it to many journalists and to the ECB also. Funnily enough it didn’t work. LOL

 

[gazza619]

This was my recommendation. I tweeted it to many journalists and to the ECB also. Funnily enough it didn’t work. LOL

I guess there must be some reason which you and I don't know about with regards to Broad which has sidelined his chances for captaincy. On paper it was absolutely a no brainer.

 

[MenInG]

England Test captain Ben Stokes has opened up on the mental health struggles that put him away from the game in 2021, revealing that he was crippled with panic attacks as he endured the challenging time. Stokes, who was named the Test captain in April, also spoke about the difficulties he faced, including the death of his father and the assault charges following an altercation in Bristol in 2017 in a documentary.

"I never thought that I would feel like I do now," Stokes said in the trailer for the documentary which was released earlier on Thursday. "My anxiety has gone through the roof. You sat on the toilet in your hotel room and you are having a massive panic attack."

The interview also featured interviews from Stokes' England teammates Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, and Joe Root. Broad, who has been one of England's longest-serving players in the current red-ball setup, revealed that he feared Stokes would never play for the side again.

"I could have seen him never playing again," said Broad, who has 537 wickets to his name in 152 matches. Archer, meanwhile, said, "That experience would have broken lesser mortals," as he talked about Stokes' struggles.

Ben Stokes took an indefinite break from the game in June 2021 to "prioritise his mental wellbeing."

"Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing," then-Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Ashley Giles had said following the announcement.

"Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this," Giles had further added.

Stokes returned to international cricket during the Ashes series in December 2021, and succeeded Joe Root as England's new Test skipper last month.

Hindustan Times

 

[James]

Stokes and McCullum dodge the first potentially tricky decision of their tenure! Could be a good toss to lose for them at Lord’s with the cloud cover coming over…

 

[MenInG]

Done well in the field but not so good with the bat!

Last Wkt: Ben Stokes c Blundell b Southee 1(9) - 98/5 in 31.3 ov.

 

[James]

Yep, Ben did really well with his bowling changes and field placings today, and the team clearly respect him as skipper. But until England sort out their batting then Test matches are going to be simply unwinnable for them.

 

[shamaan]

Pope is not a number 3 Crawley isn't good enough to open and Baistrow is average.

 

[MenInG]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For as much as watching England is regularly an exercise in absurdity, it was particularly special for this side to be both new England and old England in the space of a couple of hours at Lord's.

Neither captain Ben Stokes nor coach Brendon McCullum would have been naive enough to think that bowling out New Zealand for 132 was the instant fixing of a broken team that had won only one of its past 17 Tests.

But even they must have been surprised at how quickly they were given a demonstration of the size of the task ahead of them.

From 92-2 to 100-7 in 28 balls of pandemonium, an astonishing collapse even by England's standards. The only thing missing from the chaos was concussion substitute Matt Parkinson getting a police escort to the middle as England's number 11, having started the day in Manchester before being summoned to replace the luckless Jack Leach.

It was undeniably entertaining, England making good on their promise to provide the sort of cricket that fans want to see after the national crisis of Lord's not selling out any of the five days.

It was also a novel way to address the astronomical ticket prices, by attempting to make anything for the third day onwards worthless.

In England's day of two halves, they bowled a full length and caught everything - they rarely did that when he was skipper - only to then bat like reckless vandals, which they did all the time when Root was in charge.

To start with the positives, England were excellent in exploiting the early movement on offer. Bar the posting of six slips, there were few glimpses into how Stokes will operate in the field, mainly because everything went the way of the hosts.

In fact, it may be more interesting to consider how Stokes and McCullum coaxed a noticeably fuller length out of old warhorses James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who Root had to criticise in public for not pitching the ball up during the Ashes.

"Brendon has come into the bowling group and said, 'Don't focus too much on economy rates, I want wickets, let's try to get as many wickets as we can, as quickly as possible. Let's have the mindset of where can I get an extra slip or short leg from, rather than being too defensive'," said Broad earlier this week.

It might mean something, or it might be nothing, but the early signs are that McCullum and Stokes have given an order that has been followed.

What they said to the batters, one can only guess. If it was "play as many shots as you like, because this team is all about nicking big drives outside off stump," then it was another instruction followed to the letter.

In reality, McCullum had been keen to point out that he is not expecting England to ape a style that sees him hold the record for both the fastest century and most sixes hit in Test cricket.

"I'd never want anyone to play like I played the game," said McCullum when he arrived in the UK last week. "That comes with an immense amount of disappointment at times."

The disappointment was heightened here by the fact the nature of England's collapse was all too familiar.

Zak Crawley edging one after playing nicely, like a slightly better version of James Vince? Tick. Ollie Pope, out of position, looking like a man batting on roller skates? You bet. Things falling apart after Root gets out? Of course.

Even skipper Stokes caught the disease, driving so far away from his body that his bat was in a different postcode.

Stokes has been adamant about what his England team should look like.

"I want everyone to feel free under my captaincy," he said on Wednesday, adding that the atmosphere will be "laidback, go and express yourself".

He was also prepared for the prospect of England enduring more pain before they found a way to improve, even if he didn't expect the first setback to come in such swift and dramatic circumstances.

"Everyone is very clear what me and Brendon see as the way for this team to progress, but it won't happen overnight," added Stokes.

"We've got to be very clever and sensible about how we handle things and the language we use if things don't go well."

Now, the immediate challenge is to put that theory into practice, to get England back into a Test that they should be controlling, but are in serious danger of losing.

This was Stokes' first ride on the rollercoaster that threw his predecessors upside down and side to side.

Andrew Strauss won the Ashes in Australia, only for the closure of his reign to be marred by Kevin Pietersen's text messages. Alastair Cook started by winning in India and ended by being beaten all over the same country. Root became the best batter in the world but was powerless to stop England's ship from sinking.

Stokes arrives with a healthy dollop of life experience. Being hit for four straight sixes in the final of the T20 World Cup, almost losing his career because of a night out in Bristol, the recent death of his father and his break from the game last summer.

Given what he has gone through, he should be well placed to deal with the tribulations of the England captaincy, even if the job can become all-consuming.

The first day at Lord's was a crash course in what it is like to be England captain.

Stokes will hope it cannot get any more bizarre, but knows the ups and downs have only just begun.

BBC

 

[James]

Again vocal and astute in the field, bowling changes mostly well timed, and Stokes looks comfortable in the role.

To really put the seal on his opening Test, Ben needs a captain’s knock with the bat in the second innings to take England home.

(If England lose, then there will still be some positives to take away in the Stokes captaincy stakes.)

 

[Saj]

Change of approach and attitude in the England side.

I don't think many skippers would have asked their team to chase that total against NZ especially after being 1-0 up in the series.

 

[James]

2 Test matches, 2 fantastic wins!

Can’t ask for more than that.

 

[MenInG]

Nasser Hussain on Ben Stokes...

"He's always there at the end. World Cup final, who was there at the end? Headingley - who was there? Here, who was there at the end? As captain as well. Obviously, Bairstow took the pressure off him today so he could see it through. But he is a remarkable cricketer, he's not bothered about stats.

"His value to a team is far more than his stats. Ben Stokes value to his team and English cricket is so much more than statistics, he is there when English cricket needs him."

 

[James]

Not much to criticise with Ben’s captaincy thus far even if we are being picky. He is making astute calls and backing his instincts, and so far it is mostly going well for him.

The two points I guess we could discuss are from this Test: initially his curious first innings dismissal with the bat, and next his plans (plus his own bowling) against the New Zealand tail on the fifth morning.

He is lucky (although it’s not just luck) that the result of this Test and the glorious manner in which it was attained will consign the above two points to forgettable and less relevant history.

But these are a couple of things for him to personally bear in mind ahead of Headingley.

 

[James]

<b>England v New Zealand: Ben Stokes says Trent Bridge win is his greatest</b>

Captain Ben Stokes said England's remarkable victory over New Zealand is his greatest win as an England player, even better than his heroics at Headingley and in the World Cup final.

England chased 299 with 22 overs to spare on the final day to win the second Test at Trent Bridge.

"The enjoyment of every minute out on the field was incredible," said Stokes.

"I can't quite get my head around how we've chased 299 with 22 overs left on day five of a Test."

Stokes, 31, played career-defining innings twice in the summer of 2019, first to defeat New Zealand in the World Cup final at Lord's, then to down Australia in the third Ashes Test in Leeds.

Now, in his second Test since being appointed full-time captain, England pulled off a stunning run-chase in front of a capacity 17,000-crowd that took advantage of the final day attendance being free of charge.

England were set 299 from 72 overs and strolled the pursuit in 50. Not only was the chase England's fifth-highest of all-time, but by scoring at almost six runs per over it was the fastest they have ever chased a target of more than 100.

They were led by Jonny Bairstow, whose 136 saw him reach three figures in 77 balls - England's second-fastest Test hundred, while Stokes ended 75 not out.

"I was out there for a while with him and he had the Jonny eyes," Stokes told Test Match Special. "You probably have seen it on TV but when he's got those eyes you're not stopping him. Just let him go on and do what he needs to do."

In one astonishing spell of hitting after tea, Bairstow took 59 runs from 29 balls, just missing out on a 120-year record for England's fastest ton.

"It was great fun," he said. "I'm hugely proud of the way I went about it.

"It was a choice to go up, to hit the ball into the stands, to keep swinging hard. Stokesy said 'don't even think about keeping the ball down'. I was just trying to do what the captain said."

The victory gives England a series success over the world champions and means they are two wins from two under new captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, who have been urging the team to play with aggression, positivity and freedom.

"This couldn't have been a better start in terms of the new way we want to go forward," said Stokes.

"We know we're still working towards a lot of things. We're never going to be happy with where we are.

"There are going to be some bad days. There will be days when we'll probably lose a game with this mindset. The biggest challenge for us will be how we respond to adversity and things not going our way."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/61801525

 

[Forum363]

Stokes rewarded for putting himself above the team by opting out of the Indian series last summer and also the World T20 - two extremely crucial events for English cricket.

Stokes’ commitment to the game is questionable. Once bitten, twice shy. Who can guarantee that he won’t play the mental health card after a couple of heavy defeats and walk away.

It was a mistake to sack Root. England’s Test team was not held back by his tactics but by the lack of Test quality players coming through the ranks.

Root was scapegoated. He was an easy target because ECB are not ready to concede that they have allowed County Cricket to rust and it needs a major shakeup.

Replacing him with a quitter like Stokes will not improve anything as long as Test quality players are not coming through.

Root has the most Test wins and defeats as England captain. This means that he is a good captain who had a bad team, and they way he defied his critics who thought he couldn’t bat well while captaining the side was very impressive and brave.

He has always been there for England and doesn’t carry this mental health baggage either. In spite of all that he went through first as a batsman with his lean patch and then as captain, not once did he demand a rest and was always committed to play for England. This is how he has been rewarded.

This notion that Root “resigned” is a joke. ECB should not insult our intelligence. Root was committed to continue as captain and oversee the overhaul of the squad, but he was constantly pressurized by ex-players who scapegoated him as an easy target and he was basically asked by ECB to walk away because a player of his stature and a player with his services did not deserve to be publicly sacked.

A shameful and sad day for English cricket.

It’s been 2 matches and you’ve already been proved wrong.

Regardless of what happens in the long run, Root would have continued with his miserable form and lost these two matches against New Zealand. He would ofcourse have batter brilliantly and you would have blamed the rest of the team.

Captaincy makes a big difference in cricket.

 

[Firebat]

He leads from the front. Puts his body on the line every second of the game, in the field, with the ball or with the bat. He finished that game on one leg today, hobbling every run yet still walked down the pitch to whack the quicks back over the head.

It is ridiculous to question his commitment to the team, he puts more into every match than anyone else. His tactical astuteness is yet to be seen, but he is a true leader in character.

 

[James]

Wow some humble pie needs to be consumed for quite a few posts in this thread.

 

[MenInG]

From Michael Atherton:

After Jonny Bairstow's stunning century took England to a series-clinching victory over New Zealand in the second Test, Michael Atherton says the turnaround is a 'lesson in the value of leadership'...

What a difference a year makes, ey? Cast your mind back 12 months to a timid, cautious England team not going for a run-chase that was a little over three-an-over.

Then here, that statement of intent from the off - 'we are going to go for this win!' It is just the difference between looking at glass half full or glass half empty.

I take my hat off to the new management and this England team for having a go and getting there so easily in the end, it was a cakewalk!

Jonny Bairstow playing the innings of his life - 136 from 92 - and then Ben Stokes playing second fiddle for a while. Then once Bairstow got out, had his captain's hat on - 'I'm going to see this home'.'

There was a slight echo of the 2005 Ashes game at The Oval when Brett Lee went at Kevin Pietersen with The Ashes on the line. KP was going, 'do I stick, or do I twist? I'm going to go for it.' Bairstow was exactly the same.

The slight difference here was that the boundary was so short that when Matt Henry went for that short-pitched ploy, he's not got much protection on the legside.

I think England took 13 from the first over after tea, 13 from the second over - I think it was 49 from the first four overs and suddenly the game was transformed. Bairstow was up and away, and threatening Gilbert Jessop's 120-year record (for England fastest Test hundred).

This is an incredible result. New Zealand made 553 - this is the sixth-highest first-innings total in a Test match that has ended in defeat. Not even a close defeat in the end, England have won by five wickets with 20-odd overs to spare.

It really came down to their first innings, they got themselves up to New Zealand but did so pushing a rate of a little over four-an-over that still left more than five sessions left in the game. At that point, England were much the favoured of the two sides to win it.

We talked a lot on commentary about the trickiness of that third innings for New Zealand and that's how it panned out. There was a bit of anxiety with those two run-outs, one or two soft dismissals and, of course, that gave England their opportunity today.

It's an incredible lesson in the value of leadership, really. This is the same team that went to the Caribbean, with the exception of Anderson and Broad. Many of the same players that were in Australia.

Not for one minute am I saying that all England's problems are solved but if you go back to Australia and all the angst and the navel-gazing about English cricket, structures that need to be ripped up and this and that.

Many of us who watched what happened in the Ashes said that many of the problems, or some of the problems at least, are just at the top. A change of leadership and a bit of optimism, energy and vibrancy in the team can change things pretty quickly.

It's probably been a quicker turnaround than many of us thought but, nevertheless, the value of leadership.

Lastly, hats off to Trent Bridge for opening the gates with free tickets for day five. By 10pm on Monday night there were no tickets left. Of course, it'll be a different kind of crowd, they'll be a lot of people in here that won't necessarily be regulars. They might be watching Test cricket for the first time and just be waking up to the possibilities of the five-day game, which is a fantastic game as we all know.

They'll have taken some life-long memories away from Trent Bridge.

SKY

 

[Saj]

Closing in on the record.

 

[Robert]

Skipper Stokes

This surprised me:



In the ranks, Stokes' numbers are pretty good, but not world class.

As skipper it's a very different tale.....

So much for my many comments about killing the golden goose. He is way ahead of Botham and Flintoff as skipper.

 

[PakHammer]

He seems very natural to the job of captaining the team, unlike Root. It's something Pakistan should learn from as Babar is not a natural captain.

 

[James]

The batting seems a bit hit and miss, but his bowling as captain has been truly excellent. Leading from the front and inspiring the team.

 

[Mamoon]

Stokes has only captained home Tests so far, so comparing his record with his overall career numbers does not present a clear picture.

A better comparison would be Stokes at home before becoming captain vs Stokes at home after becoming captain.

I think his numbers with the bat would be similar but the bowling average has gone down, albeit not without a helping hand from a very poor South African lineup.

 

[Robert]

The batting seems a bit hit and miss, but his bowling as captain has been truly excellent. Leading from the front and inspiring the team.

He knows not to overbowl himself, too.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Flintoff and Botham were leaders but not captains but Stokes is a captain. His tactics, reading of the game, performing when needed the most are perfect.

 

[sweep_shot]

He is doing better as a skipper.

Not surprised. He seems like a fighter and a natural leader.

 

[BouncerGuy]

A Stokes rescue mission once again? England was struggling at 155-7 when the skipper, Ben Stokes led the road to recovery. Currently batting at 43 of 66 balls.
​

The England skipper took a little bit of time to find his rhythm but Stokes is absolutely firing now.

Forty three runs from 66 deliveries so far and with England now past the 200-run mark, they will feel satisfied that they can get in the position to post a decent score if their rescue man can keep his spot in the middle. Oh, and a partner to go with him.

 

[Asad T]

Funny to see the differences of sr against axar vs jadeja considering they are both left arm spinners. is axar keeping it a lot tighter? I always thought it would be the opposite.

 

[Asad T]

Good 50 under pressure; started slow but really stepped on the gas once he started batting with the tail. Captain leading from the front once again.

 

[BouncerGuy]

What a way to bring up 50! Stokes absolutely smashes one out of the ground for six and that is the half-century that gets the applause from the England fans in the crowd.

He likes to entertain so next delivery, he gets another six of course!

 

[BouncerGuy]

Bumrah's third delivery was a beauty as it beats Stokes and clattered the stumps. The England skipper gives a nod as his sign of appreciation for that delivery.

70 runs from 88 deliveries. Another solid and potentially innings-saving knock from Stokes.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Anil Kumble Questions Ben Stokes, Pin Points Blatant Flaws In His Captaincy

Former India captain Anil Kumble suggested that England missed a trick by not giving the ball to Joe Root on Day 1 of the ongoing first Test in Hyderabad. Yashasvi Jaiswal and the bowlers put India in control on Day 1 after the visitors opted to bat. Ben Stokes led the way with the bat for England, slamming 70 but the Indian bowlers did well to restrict them to 246. In reply, Jaiswal raised his way to an unbeaten 76 in the final session as India ended Day 1 at 119/1.

Jack Leach struck for England on Day 1 as Rohit Sharma was dismissed on 24.

After Jaiswal's carnage in the final hour of play on Day 1, Kumble slammed England captain Stokes for not giving the ball to Root.

"I thought England missed a trick by not using Joe Root because he's someone you can really turn the ball, and he has a good action. And there was Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is a left-hander, and we saw Ashwin trouble the left-handers. So England probably missed a trick," Kumble told the broadcasters.

Kumble's prediction proved to true as Root dismissed Jaiswal in the first over on Day 2.

Kumble also labelled the England spinners as "inconsistent", adding that unlike the Indian bowlers, they failed to utilise the conditions.

"I think it's one, the length. I mean, they are not consistent at all on a surface where it's assisting you a bit. We saw that with the Indian spinners. As soon as they bowled a good length, it was turning, so they got the lengths wrong. And then, when you want to spin, I mean first, is confidence. Hartley is playing his first game, Leach hasn't really played in a while, and then he's coming in."

"But if they have to come back in this game, the spinners need to be a lot more consistent. So maybe England need to just keep the field away a little bit because I thought they were over attacks. Because yeah, I mean, you need a slip. Yes, you need a shot, but not for young spinners who are struggling to find the length," Kumble said.
​

SOURCE: NDTV

 

[MenInG]

Ashwin has dismissed Ben Stokes for the 12th time in Tests (1st Test), more than any other batsman. No one has dismissed Stokes more often, either.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Former India player Dinesh Karthik on Ravindra Jadeja's Run out by Stokes:

"Sheer brilliance from the England skipper. He's the man with the X-factor. He just ran out one of the fastest men in Test cricket.

"He was out of balance and reverse flung the ball out of his hands and Jadeja is a couple of feet short.

"What a way to take a wicket!"

 

[BouncerGuy]

It is not easy to run Ravindra Jadeja out. Stokes did it with absolute brilliance.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1751542039722762612

 

[shamaan]

A stunning run out from Stokes

 

[FearlessRoar]

Stokes was clever, trapping Sarfaraz into hitting the ball into the space on the offside, creating a nice edged drive. Ben Stokes showed superb leadership as a captain.

View attachment YouCut_20240224_154305772.mp4

 

[Mamoon]

Worst England captain I have seen. You also have to question if he merits a place in the team knowing his fitness, age and contribution with the ball.

There is no doubt he should be sacked as captain after the final Test but it is also worth debating if Sam Curran should replace him for the upcoming English summer.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Disaster series with the bat. Hasn't bowled. Pressure mounting surely?

 

[James]

Worst England captain I have seen

You obviously haven’t seen many

 

[James]

Pressure mounting surely?

Easier run of fixtures for remainder of 2024, he has been short of his best on this tour but deserves another chance. There’s no obvious replacement either. Pope has some potential as a captain but he is nowhere near ready yet.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Easier run of fixtures for remainder of 2024, he has been short of his best on this tour but deserves another chance. There’s no obvious replacement either. Pope has some potential as a captain but he is nowhere near ready yet.

You have easy fixtures at home. Where all are England touring next?

 

[James]

You have easy fixtures at home. Where all are England touring next?

*Easier fixtures for remainder of year. Never easy.

Pakistan and New Zealand

 

[Swashbuckler]

*Easier fixtures for remainder of year. Never easy.

Pakistan and New Zealand

Back Eng to beat WI and SL comfortably.

Eagerly waiting to see Eng vs Pak. Underrated rivalry.

 

[MP2011]

England vs Pakistan is mouth watering.

 

[Energy]

Stokes had a tasty time of things masquerading as the best England has to offer as captaincy over the last few months. It's easy to prey on Pakistan and get us under pressure because the players are not mentally strong, and neither are they tactically skilled.

 

[Markhor]

Worst England captain I have seen. You also have to question if he merits a place in the team knowing his fitness, age and contribution with the ball.

There is no doubt he should be sacked as captain after the final Test but it is also worth debating if Sam Curran should replace him for the upcoming English summer.

Very few modern captains have avoided defeat away in India. Won't be the first or the last.

Perhaps we can discuss sacking once he oversees 1 win in 17 Tests like his predecessor who you would've retained.

 

[Markhor]

It was a mistake to sack Root. England’s Test team was not held back by his tactics but by the lack of Test quality players coming through the ranks.

Replacing him with a quitter like Stokes will not improve anything as long as Test quality players are not coming through.

The Resident Dr is remarkably quick to bump historical quotes proving him right yet will conveniently ignore statements like this.

5 series wins in 8 with 2 draws and a defeat suggests significant improvement in anyone's book.

The test of his captaincy isn't winning away in India - a Herculean task for most skippers. It's winning the series they ought to win, ensuring their home is a fortress (one of the biggest reasons for Root's demise was the humiliating home summer in 2021) and winning an Ashes series which remains, rightly or wrongly, the pinnacle for English captains.

So far he's ticked the first two, and was a Manchester rainstorm away from the latter. As for his own form - a batting avg of 36 and bowling avg of 28 as captain doesn't raise any red flags.

What must end are the ridiculous and arrogant public statements from his players saying they'll chase 600, the opposition learned from us etc. Sometimes I feel they're more of a cult than a cricket team.

 

[James]

Root wasn’t sacked, he stepped down. After Silverwood and Giles were sacked, Root retained his position.

 

[James]

What must end are the ridiculous and arrogant public statements from his players saying they'll chase 600, the opposition learned from us etc. Sometimes I feel they're more of a cult than a cricket team.

I think they’re learning. No silly statements in this match, unless I missed them.

 

[sindhiboy]

He hasn't been bad, although a few decisions like not starting with seamers yesterday in hindsight were poor choices.

However, England have choked massively for 3 test series in a row by losing matches from winning situations.

 

[Mamoon]

The Resident Dr is remarkably quick to bump historical quotes proving him right yet will conveniently ignore statements like this.

5 series wins in 8 with 2 draws and a defeat suggests significant improvement in anyone's book.

The test of his captaincy isn't winning away in India - a Herculean task for most skippers. It's winning the series they ought to win, ensuring their home is a fortress (one of the biggest reasons for Root's demise was the humiliating home summer in 2021) and winning an Ashes series which remains, rightly or wrongly, the pinnacle for English captains.

So far he's ticked the first two, and was a Manchester rainstorm away from the latter. As for his own form - a batting avg of 36 and bowling avg of 28 as captain doesn't raise any red flags.

What must end are the ridiculous and arrogant public statements from his players saying they'll chase 600, the opposition learned from us etc. Sometimes I feel they're more of a cult than a cricket team.

Very few modern captains have avoided defeat away in India. Won't be the first or the last.

Perhaps we can discuss sacking once he oversees 1 win in 17 Tests like his predecessor who you would've retained.

The 2023 Ashes was a failure for England and there is no point in using rain as an excuse because if it wasn't for Stokes' suicidal declaration, England would have won the series before the fifth Test. Furthermore, let's not ignore that Australia were without Lyon after the first two Tests and their bowling attack was stretched thin. When Lyon played, it was 0-2 to Australia and Bazball went for a hike.

England held a full-strength Australia to a 2-2 draw in 2019 under the "defensive and weak" leadership of Root.

English media and fans were waxing lyrical about Bazball but what has Bazball done for England? Failed to beat Australia at home; failed to win in NZ and now they have been ruthlessly dispatched in India. These were the three big tests and they failed all of them which has proved that Bazball is a scam and Stokes is a nothing captain and not the tactical genius that he was advertised.

England under Stokes have not won any matches that they would not have won under Root or any other captain. They have taken full advantage of playing weak sides like Pakistan and South Africa.

The Ashes and this Indian tour has exposed Bazball and Stokes as captain and it is now time for a new leadership and new direction.

This particular series has been a nightmare for Stokes because he had to backtrack on his own ideology and resorted to playing defensive, attritional cricket in the fourth Test and still got owned. This series has proved to be an ultimate L for Stokes and Bazball.

 

[James]

England under Stokes have not won any matches that they would not have won under Root or any other captain.

You can’t honestly believe that.

You’re a smart bloke, but on this particular subject your judgment is clouded by a fairly bizarre personal vendetta.

 

[Markhor]

The 2023 Ashes was a failure for England and there is no point in using rain as an excuse because if it wasn't for Stokes' suicidal declaration, England would have won the series before the fifth Test. Furthermore, let's not ignore that Australia were without Lyon after the first two Tests and their bowling attack was stretched thin. When Lyon played, it was 0-2 to Australia and Bazball went for a hike.

England held a full-strength Australia to a 2-2 draw in 2019 under the "defensive and weak" leadership of Root.

English media and fans were waxing lyrical about Bazball but what has Bazball done for England? Failed to beat Australia at home; failed to win in NZ and now they have been ruthlessly dispatched in India. These were the three big tests and they failed all of them which has proved that Bazball is a scam and Stokes is a nothing captain and not the tactical genius that he was advertised.

England under Stokes have not won any matches that they would not have won under Root or any other captain. They have taken full advantage of playing weak sides like Pakistan and South Africa.

The Ashes and this Indian tour has exposed Bazball and Stokes as captain and it is now time for a new leadership and new direction.

This particular series has been a nightmare for Stokes because he had to backtrack on his own ideology and resorted to playing defensive, attritional cricket in the fourth Test and still got owned. This series has proved to be an ultimate L for Stokes and Bazball.

Not for the first time you allow your emotions and personal bias cloud your thinking.

Stokes' captaincy during a drawn Ashes and a defeat in India is far from flawless, but arguing it's a sackable offence while Root's record of 1 win in 17 Tests was not is so preposterous it's not worthy of further comment.

England under Stokes have not won any matches that they would not have won under Root or any other captain

Well there's this for starters:

2021 - England 0-1 New Zealand
2022 - England 3-0 New Zealand

Under Root in 2018, England drew 1-1 against a poor Pakistan team that'd just been blanked by Sri Lanka in UAE. Then in 2020 they scraped a win in the only completed Test against Pakistan. Both home series where England should've dominated.

In 2022, Stokes toured Pakistan and schooled us comprehensively 0-3. It's unlikely any captain, let alone Root, would've extracted a result from the Rawalpindi Test on that graveyard pitch.

The 1-1 draw in New Zealand in 22/23 was still an improvement over the 2018 tour where England lost 1-0 including an embarrassing 58 all out in the day-nighter.

England held a full-strength Australia to a 2-2 draw in 2019 under the "defensive and weak" leadership of Root.

Pray tell who kept that Ashes series alive in the 3rd Test at Headingley ?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

You can’t honestly believe that.

You’re a smart bloke, but on this particular subject your judgment is clouded by a fairly bizarre personal vendetta.

There are some question marks about whether this new method is all fluff or not.

For instance , from 1 Jun 2018 to 5 Feb 2021, England won 13 Tests and lost only 6.

That win loss ratio was actually comparable to what Bazball has done until now.

Only from that India tour 2021 during peak Covid and associated bubbles did England really start falling apart.

They are definitely a better side now because Stokes does have better fields and gives his bowlers the best chances for wickets .

But comparing that era when England were focussed on white ball cricket and when they were going from bubble to bubble to the Bazball era when Stokes and McCullum get priority over Buttler and Mott and when things have gone back to normal is probably not fair to Root.