Ricky Ponting Picks Next England Test Captain if Joe Root Gets Sacked
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that only Ben Stokes can be the captain of England's Test team, if current captain Joe Root is displaced from his position following an bad run in the Ashes for England.
Ponting, the Australian cricket team legend believes that with Stokes taking the burden of captaincy, his game can be seen to improve to the next level.
After the Ashes series loss against Australia, questions are being asked about the leadership of current captain Joe Root, whether a change in captaincy can strengthen the Test team again.
Past history tells of all-rounders like Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff, who stepped down from the captaincy after struggling in the role.
Ponting felt that making Stokes the captain could be the change England needed in Test cricket. Stokes had scored 66 runs in the first innings despite the injury.
The former Australian World Cup winning skipper said to Australia cricket portal cricket.com.au that Ben Stokes is the only person who can take the captaincy role of the England team. He believes that him being the captain would further improve his game and might have a huge impact on the other players.
Ricky Ponting said, "Ben Stokes should replace Joe Root as the captain of England in Test cricket". (To Cricket Australia).
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He continued that if he was trying to change the face of England cricket to give it heartbeat and soul, then Ben Stokes would be the one leading the team. He also mentioned about how Stokes showed grit and determination when stood up on his feet through a lot of pain after suffering an injury during the match.
Ponting has also warned Root that it will be difficult to continue as Test captain after the ongoing Ashes. He sees similarities with the last days of his captaincy and the current scenario of England's current Test skipper Joe Root.
While England's limited overs team looks solid under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, it the Test team that has failed to deliver, losing 3 straight matches in the ongoing Ashes series. And even though Joe Root is probably the best performer for the team, his leadership qualities is now under a big question mark.