Ben Stokes and an Year of Test Captaincy

Ben Stokes was England’s superstar who has done the unthinkable on numerous occasions throughout Joe Root’s captaincy tenure. He was Joe Root’s confident support and when Joe Root stepped down from captaincy the role seemed highly likely to fall on Stokes.

When he came in though English Cricket was in some deep trouble. They lost the Ashes 4-0, the batting line-up was as collapse prone as ever and the director, chief selector and coach had all stepped down one after the other. After a series loss in the Caribbean, Joe Root himself had enough and stepped down too.

Ben Stokes himself was just heading back into his stride. He took a break after hurting his finger in 2021, and made it into the Ashes Side after stating that he was available in the last possible minute. The Ashes though saw Ben Stokes far from his best. Ben Stokes though continued to do what he does best which is giving it his all. With England lacking fast bowlers, he took it upon himself to crank the pace up in the attack and as he got back to his groove he was made Test Captain with England at possibly their worst spot ever.

With England at their lowest point and with Joe Root stepping down, England had a new captain, coach and managing director. Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and Rob Key formed the new leadership group and Stokes came in with a plan. Under Stokes, clarity and communication became key and the first thing he looked to do was bring James Anderson and Stuart Broad back after they were left out of the Caribbean tour.

He kept to his word on being clear and led with passion and aggression. He stuck with his group of players, and also made some decisions that are now reaping some huge rewards. Ollie Pope for starters was moved to number three, a spot he is not used to, and with England clear on their goals, Pope has been doing a whole lot better as he now stands as England’s vice-captain. The move has also allowed Joe Root to bat at four, his preferred spot.

Ollie Robinson is another player who has had the backing of Stokes and he now is one of the first players on the team list. With the batting line-up, Ben Stokes had built a strong core, and also found players who could be backed when the main players were not available. He has backed Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the top, while Jonny Bairstow, the man who started Bazball has stuck to his position, until Harry Brook took it and owned it in Bairstow’s absence.

He has communicated brilliantly with his players, and that has translated in a lot of success. What followed next is ten wins in 12 Tests, and some incredible run-chases to go with his numbers. He now has the Ashes ahead of them and England will be hoping to retain the Ashes for the first time since 2015. His side is in top form and they look completely different from the side Australia faced 18 months ago as the Ashes promises to provide a thrilling contest.