Meanwhile, Stuart Broad backed Stokes to come good as a leader.
England's batsman Joe Root celebrates his double century (200 runs) on day four of the second cricket Test match between England and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on December 2, 2019. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
England skipper Joe Root is set to miss the first test against West Indies, the series which will resume cricketing action after the coronavirus pandemic forced all cricketing activities to a complete standstill. The same has been confirmed in a report carried by BBC.
Ben Stokes is set to lead the English side for the first time in the absence of regular captain Root.
Notably, Root’s wife is expecting a baby around the same time as the first Test and if Root indeed attends to the birth of his second child, then he would have to be under mandatory self-isolation before joining the team again.
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Meanwhile, Stuart Broad backed Stokes to come good as a leader.
“Stokes will be fine. The toughest part of the job is off the field, lots of extra meetings and planning, which he won’t have to get involved in,” Broad told reporters in a virtual news conference as per Sky Sports.
“He has a great cricket brain, he has grown and matured over the last few years so captaining one game will be easy. There won’t be much pressure as he’s not being judged over a long period of time. I have no doubts he will be brilliant.”
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