5 players who could replace Joe Root as England Test captain

Joe Root on Friday stepped down as
England Test captain following the 1-0 Test series defeat against West Indies.
Root was under fire since losing the Ashes 4-0 in Australia. Since 2017 when
Root attained the captaincy replacing Alastair Cook, he won 27 Tests, the most
by an England captain but he also lost 26 Tests.

Also Read: Why did Joe Root quit England Test captaincy? Read his full statement

As Root relinquished the Test captaincy,
England now need to appoint a new skipper ahead of a busy summer of Test
cricket which will get underway on June 2 against New Zealand.

Here are five potential candidates for the captaincy role: 

Ben Stokes    

Vice-captain Ben Stokes is the strongest
contender for the captaincy. He has a guaranteed place in the XI. His
performance in whites also makes him one of the most reliable players in the
team.

Stokes also sets a new standard in
training. He has already captained England before and by dropping Stuart Broad
ECB felicitated his chances to become the next England skipper for the red ball
cricket. 

Stuart Broad

Though dropped from the team, at 35,
Stuart Broad has still had the potential to lead the side. But Broad will not
get a long tenure due to his age. However, his experience and understanding of
conditions will make him a good captain. Broad also previously led England in
T20I cricket.

Moeen Ali

The all-rounder has the skills and
patience to lead the side, but will the ECB be able to convince him to break
out of Test retirement? Moeen Ali is a well-respected cricketer in the England
dressing room and has the experience of captaining England in white-ball
cricket. His passion, leadership skills and ability to inspire teammates would
make him a good captain.

Rory Burns

A dropped player Rory Burns is still in
contention due to the paucity of candidates for the captaincy of the England
team. Burns has had the experience of leading county side Surrey since he was
appointed in 2018. He led the side to their first Championship title in 16
years. Despite his struggles in Australia this winter, he has the best record
of any opener England have tried over the last decade aside from Andrew Strauss
and Alastair Cook.

Also Read: Joe Root’s journey as England Test captain: From most wins to terrible Ashes record

Sam Billings

Like Burns, Billings is also a
left-handed batter but has plenty of captaincy experience. Sam Billings was
named Kent skipper back in 2018. Made his Test debut as an injury replacement
for Jos Buttler during the Ashes but was overlooked in the Caribbean with Ben
Foakes preferred.

Billings has expressed his desire to
play for England and has also been regarded as a captaincy material by experts.