Stokes backs Brook to succeed him as England captain
Cricket – The Ashes – Australia v England – Third Test – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia – December 17, 2025 England’s Ben Stokes and Harry Brook line up during the national anthems before the match REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
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NOTTINGHAM, England, June 29 – Ben Stokes has thrown his backing behind Harry Brook to succeed him as England test captain.
Brook, England’s white-ball skipper, was Stokes’s vice-captain in the test side for the red-ball series against New Zealand which they lost 2-1 on Monday.
However he was overlooked for the second test when Stokes was omitted from the team for disciplinary reasons in favour of former captain Joe Root.
“There is a reason why he was asked to be vice-captain of this team,” said Stokes.
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“I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time. It’s a natural progression. There’s absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn’t be asked to do that. He’s someone that is an incredible player, one of the more senior players in this group, a phenomenally talented player. With a bit more responsibility on his shoulders, you don’t know if that’s going to improve him even more.
“If I was to be asked who should do it I would throw my 100 per cent support behind Harry Brook.”
MCCULLUM WANTS TO STAY AS COACH
England coach Brendon McCullum, who reiterated his own desire to carry on in the post despite the side losing seven of their last nine tests, stopped short of endorsing the Yorkshireman.
“It’s one of those things where we just need to take a bit of time to work out. We’ve got some good candidates and strong leaders in the side so we’ll work through that and come up with what we think is the right option,” he said.
Brook, ranked number two in the world test batting rankings, is an automatic selection in the side but has been criticised for indiscipline both on and off the pitch.
The 27-year-old received a reprimand from the Cricket Regulator after an incident in New Zealand last winter when he was struck by a bouncer after being refused entry to a nightclub the night before a one-day international.
McCullum admitted he had tried to talk Stokes out of his mid-match decision to step down at Trent Bridge.
“When he grabbed me yesterday morning when we arrived at the ground and said: ‘Baz, I’m done’, I said ‘slow down, you don’t need to make any rash decisions now, let’s just talk this through’,” said McCullum.
“But he said: ‘Honestly, I’m done. I’m content. I’m happy. I’ve done what I wanted to do with this team and now is the right time’.’”
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
Source: Reuters
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