Ben Stokes believes Harry Brook should become England’s next Test captain after his own retirement from international cricket.
The England all-rounder announced his decision during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. He made the announcement while bowling a long spell on day four.
New Zealand went on to win the Test by 160 runs on day five. The result gave the tourists a 2-1 series victory.
Stokes also ended his time as England Test captain after seven defeats in his last nine matches.
England coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key must now choose a new leader. Harry Brook has already shown leadership in England’s white-ball teams.
‘Great honour’ to captain
Brook has thrown his hat in the ring for the role, saying “it would be a great honour” to captain England at Test level.
And Durham all-rounder Stokes has backed the appointment of Brook, who was overlooked for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval, where Joe Root led the team in the absence of Stokes, who was suspended alongside seamer Gus Atkinson.
Stokes told Sky Sports: “If I was asked who I think should do it, I would be throwing my 100 per cent support behind Harry Brook.
“There’s absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn’t be asked to do that.”
Brook an ‘incredible player’
Stokes added: “He’s an incredible player, one of the more senior players in this group – we all know he’s a phenomenally talented individual when it comes to his skill as a batter.
“If you lump a bit more responsibility on his shoulders with this team, we don’t know if that’s going to show any more improvement in the skills he’s already got. Only time will tell.
“But you don’t ask someone to be vice-captain if you don’t think they’ve got the skills or the ability to captain the team when they need to.”
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