England will usher in a new era in Test cricket under Ben Stokes' captaincy. Meanwhile, he has called for his boys to be selfless to give England success in the longest form.
It will be a new dawn and new beginning for England in Test cricket, as all-rounder Ben Stokes will lead the side to usher in a new era. He is replacing Joe Root, who had his share of success for the last five years before things went upside down in the past year. Stokes, who had periodically led the side in the past, has expressed his confidence in the role.
England is in a precarious situation in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC), lurking at the bottom after three series and is in the serious danger of missing out on the final spot. As Stokes looks to revive the team, he has affirmed that he will give Test cricket the top priority hereon, while workload will not be a concern for him. However, he has demanded his boys to be selfless, and are willing to give it all to win.
"There is a lot that needs to change. But, in terms of on-the-field stuff, a great starting point for me is I want to have selfless cricketers who make decisions based on what they can do to win a game in that given time," Stokes was quoted as saying during his first media interaction on Tuesday, with Sky Sports.
"Because, at the end of the day, you're always judged on winning games. That's always been the most important thing to me. The decisions I make are based on what is the best thing to do to give us that chance. I want to have ten other guys out there with me who are of that same mindset," added Stokes.
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Stokes has been plagued by injuries of late, keeping him out of action for quite some time, as he is also not featuring in the enduring Indian Premier League (IPL). As a result, there were concerns regarding his workload management, and if it was the right call to hand him the burden of leadership duties. However, he has rubbished such concerns and established that he was destined for the role.
"The people who write all that stuff are obviously taking that from other people who have done the role and been the all-rounder. I've had to live with the tag of Andrew Flintoff and Sir Ian Botham since I was 18. But, I've always maintained that I've never tried to be Andrew Flintoff or Sir Ian Botham. I'm Ben Stokes," Stokes concluded.