Former England skippers back Ben Stokes as Joe Root's replacement for Test captaincy

Joe Root has stepped down as England's Test skipper. Meanwhile, former English skippers are backing Ben Stokes to replace him for the role.

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Joe Root stepped down from the role of England's Test captaincy on Friday, thus bringing his five-year stint to an end. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is yet to announce his replacement. Meanwhile, former English skippers have backed all-rounder Ben Stokes as his ideal replacement.

Root's position as the English Test skipper was under the scanner following England's dismal outing in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC). England has played three-Test series and has lost all of them. It currently lurks at the bottom of the WTC table and has three more series remaining to turn things around, besides relying on some other results going its way.

Speaking on Stokes being Root's ideal replacement, Michael Vaughan told the BBC, "I don't see anyone else who could take the position and be guaranteed their place in the side. In Ben Stokes, you have clearly got someone who has got a smart cricket brain. He's going to give it everything. He is certainly going to respect the players around him."

Meanwhile, Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports, "The obvious candidate is Ben Stokes. Stokes has done some remarkable things as a cricketer and has a genius cricket brain. He showed that in the World Cup final, he showed that at Headingley. He showed that when he's taken over occasionally from Joe Root."

On the other hand, Michael Atherton reckoned, "Just because of the scrutiny, you need to be worth your place in the side, so Ben Stokes is the obvious candidate. The one great defining characteristic of Ben Stokes is loyalty, and he's very loyal to Joe Root as his number two and terrific friend with him. He will feel a lot easier about accepting the job if indeed it comes his way."