Joe Root on Thursday extended his best wishes to friend and teammate Ben Stokes for being appointed as the new Test captain of England. The former captain came up with a social media post hours after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made the official announcement.
Stokes, who served as Root’s deputy in the Test side, was the overwhelming favorite to take charge of a struggling team that won only one of their past 17 matches. The all-rounder’s career is peppered with staggering performances with bat and ball and has been a loyal lieutenant to Joe Root.
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Meanwhile, Root took to Twitter and posted a heartfelt message to congratulate his successor. He wrote, “Always got each other’s backs. Congratulations mate, I’ll be right with you every step of the way.”
Stokes’ first assignment as England will be against New Zealand in a 3-match series, starting from June 2 in London. Later in July, he will lead the side against Rohit Sharma-led Team India in the leftover Test from the last year’s five-match series in Birmingham.
After his appointment as the next England Test captain, Stokes made a point of praising his friend and predecessor in a short statement.
“I am honored to be given the chance to lead the England Test team,” he said. “This is a real privilege and I’m excited about getting started this summer.
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“I want to thank Joe for everything he has done for English cricket and for always being a great ambassador for the sport all across the world. He has been a massive part of my development as a leader in the dressing room and he will continue to be a key ally for me in this role,” he added.
Earlier on April 15, Root resigned from his post following a 1-0 series loss in the Caribbean, which came hot on the heels of a humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia. However, he remains the leader in winning the most number of matches as England Men’s Test captain. His 27 victories put him ahead of Michael Vaughan (26), Sir Alastair Cook, and Sir Andrew Strauss (24 each).
(With Agency Inputs)
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