Ben Stokes said he was “proud” to be in a position where he might replace Joe Root as England skipper against the West Indies, even though ...
Ben Stokes said he was “proud” to be in a position where he might replace Joe Root as England skipper against the West Indies, even though he has not captained a side since he was a teenager.
Vice-captain Stokes could find himself leading out the team for next week’s first Test at Southampton – or later in the three-match series – should Root be absent attending the birth of his second child.
But the powerful all-rounder said he would accept the “huge honour” if it came his way.
“Even if it’s only the once you can still say ‘yeah, I’ve captained England’,” he told a conference call on Monday.
Stokes was restored to his position as Test vice-captain in July 2019, nearly a year after being found not guilty of affray following an incident outside a nightclub.
“After that happened it was ‘right, what am I going to do from this point forward?,” Stokes told Sky in a separate interview as he recalled the incident. “How am I going to carry and conduct myself?’
“I’m quite proud to say I’m in this situation through hard work and determination. I wanted to get better and it’s been no fluke.”
But Stokes, who last led a cricket team aged 16 for Durham Academy, insisted captaincy had...
