England and West Indies will face each other in a bio-secure environment. The first Test is scheduled to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
Ben Stokes of England. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
Stand-in England Test captain Ben Stokes has admitted that leading the side against the West Indies in the first Test of the three-match series will not bring any change in his approach to the game and all he will try to do is to make a positive impact with the ball or bat.
England and West Indies will face each other in a bio-secure environment. The first Test is scheduled to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton (July 8-12) with the second and third matches at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 16-20 and then July 24-28.
Regular skipper Joe Root is set to miss the opening Test due to the birth of his second child.
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“I always try to set the example in terms of attitude and commitment,” Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“Having the added responsibility of being a captain also comes with pressure, in terms of making decisions through tough periods of the game.
“But that’s not going to change the way that I go about things. I’ll try to make a positive impact with the ball or bat in my hand. No matter what I do, it will always be the positive route,” he added.
The World Cup winning all-rounder further said that it was never his goal to become a captain.
“I’ve never set a goal out to be a captain. Alastair Cook was always destined to be England captain after Andrew Strauss. Root was always destined to be captain after Cook. I’m not one of those people you would necessarily think of as the next England captain,” said Stokes.
“But it’s a huge honour. Even if it’s only the once you can still say ‘yeah, I’ve captained England’. So I’m really looking forward to it if the opportunity presents itself. But I know I’m only stepping in for one game because of Joe’s personal situation,” he added.
The three-match series will mark the resumption of international cricket which has been suspended for almost four months due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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