As the COVID-19 situation is slowly getting better in some places, England became the first country to host cricket series where they will first take on West Indies and then Pakistan. England’s regular captain Joe Root, however, won't be able to play the Test series-opener against the Windies for personal reasons and the vice-captain Ben Stokes will do the needful. The English all-rounder, however, told that he won't change his playing approach even if he is leading and added that it will be a huge honour for him to lead the team.
"I hope that I always try to set the example in terms of attitude and commitment If I am in charge that's not going to change the way that I go about things," Stokes was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Ben Stokes has been going through a purple patch from the past one year as he helped England to win World Cup trophy against New Zealand and played an important role in England’s stunning Ashes win over Australia at Headingley. The all-rounder, who has played 63 Tests since 2013, shared that positivity influences his conduct on the field and that will continue.
Stokes is going to be the first all-rounder after Andrew Flintoff to lead England and 81st captain of England overall. He was named vice-captain in 2017, but the Bristol nightclub incident that year saw him lost the position. However, his sheer brilliance and hard work helped him in moving to the place that he deserves.
Stokes said, "Getting the opportunity to captain England is a huge honour - even if it's only the once you can still say 'yeah, I've captained England'. It's a huge honour to think about, and something I'm really looking forward to if the opportunity presents itself, but also at the same time I know I'm only stepping in for the one game because of Joe's personal situation,"
Cover picture credits: NDTVSports
