England skipper Joe Root might have to skip the opening Test against West Indies if it coincides with the impending birth of his second child with vice-captain Ben Stokes taking over the mantle.
In fact, Root has backed Stokes, whom he believes will be a “fantastic captain”.
“I think if Ben was captain he would be fantastic. One of his great qualities as vice-captain and as a leader is that he sets the example, the way he goes about his training, how he wants to bowl in difficult circumstances, the way he stands up in different scenarios with the bat,” Root said. “He drags people with him and gets the best out of the players around him. I think that’s a great quality to have as a leader and something he can take into captaincy if he was to get the opportunity. I could see him doing a very good job.”
Root said Stokes can be a huge success not only in short term but even if he is given the job for long term.
“People will always look up to him and want to play for him, whether captain or not. But especially as captain he’ll have people wanting to play for him and short-term he’d be a huge success. Until you get the opportunity to do it longer, you just never know, it might be a huge success. I wouldn’t put it past him,” he said.
