Stokes plays down captaincy links, says always want to play for Root

England‘s star all-rounder Ben Stokes on Monday played down captaincy links, he never had any ambition for the role while backing embattled skipper Joe Root and head coach Chris Silverwood.  

Root has come under pressure over England’s dismal year in Test cricket in 2021 – a year in which the Three Lions recorded their most defeats, ducks and scores under 200 runs – as well as their performance in the Ashes series so far, with all hopes of regaining the urn going up in smokes in less than a fortnight as the tourists stare down the barrel of another whitewash Down Under.  

Root will become the country’s longest-serving Test captain at the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney, surpassing Alastair Cook’s record of 59 matches in charge. 

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There have been talks about the 31-year-old being replaced as captain, with pundits like Ricky Ponting, Goeff Boycott criticising his leadership. There are a few candidates to replace Root as the skipper, with Ben Stokes topping the list – a notion backed by former captain Mike Atherton and others. 

Atherton believes that Root’s tenure as captain is at an end after “having three cracks at the Ashes, including two awful campaigns in Australia”. 

However, Stokes said he is not interested in the job. 

“I’ve never really had an ambition to be a captain,” The BBC quoted the 30-year-old as saying. “Captaincy is more than about setting fields, picking the team, making decisions out there in the middle. A captain is someone you want to go out and play for. Joe Root is someone I always want to play for.”

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Stokes has led England in Tests before, with his solitary outing as captain ending in defeat against the West Indies in 2020 when Root was on paternity leave. 

Stokes doesn’t think Root wants to give up the role yet. “I don’t sense that at all with Joe,” he said. “He’s brought this team a long way. He’s done some great things.”

He also backed beleagured coach Silverwood, who will miss the Sydney Test as he is in isolation after a close family member tested positive for COVID-19. 

“All the hype in the media recently about their futures, it’s your job to write that, but they know full well they have the support of everyone in there and that’s all that matters,” Stokes said.