Nasser Hussain backs Ben Stokes as 'excellent captain' pick, equates him with Virat Kohli

With ace all-rounder Ben Stokes all set to lead the English side to the resumption of international cricket with the first Test against West Indies, plenty have backed the Durham-lad to excel as a skipper as well. Skipper Joe Root, who will be missing the first Test due to the birth of his second child, and pacer Mark Wood have also exuded confidence in Stokes to lead the side by example at the Ageas Bowl. Now, former English skipper Nasser Hussain has come forth to remark that the all-rounder will be an 'excellent captain' even though temporarily. 

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'A bit like Virat'

Speaking during Star Sports' Cricket Connected, Hussain equated Ben Stokes with the likes of India's aggressive skipper Virat Kohli and remarked that what the English all-rounder does is 'a bit like Virat.' "Everything he does, he does it at 100 miles an hour," Hussain stated. Stokes is set to be England's 81st Test skipper at the Ageas Bowl where the Lions face the Windies from July 8 onwards in the first Test of the Raise the Bat series. 

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The former England skipper also stated that Stokes will be an excellent skipper and it is an 'absolutely great choice' and 'very loyal' to Joe Root as well. However, Hussain also highlighted the increase in workload pressure for Stokes with the captaincy, playing all three formats, and possibly the IPL as well, all on his plate. Although Hussain expressed his 'worry' regarding the workload, he concluded by stating that one should 'never write-off' Ben Stokes. 

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England announce squad for first Test

With just four days remaining to international cricket's resumption, England has announced a 13-man squad for the first Test of the 'Raise the Bat' series against the West Indies. Apart from the 13-man squad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced nine reserve players. Here is the full squad: 

Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood 

The Reserves: 

James Bracey, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, and Olly Stone

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'Raise the Bat' series

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named the series as 'Raise the Bat' to pay tribute to the key workers combating the pandemic. The national board has also informed that the players will be wearing key workers' names on shirts as a mark of respect. The first test of the series will commence on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl. The second and third test will be played at the Old Trafford subsequently, dates for which are July 16 and July 24. Both the teams are currently playing practice matches.