Published 10:42 IST, July 2nd 2020
Wood believes Stokes will be 'brilliant' captain, recalls playing under him in U-19 days
England pacer Mark Wood revealed that he is one of the very few cricketers to play under Ben Stokes' captaincy and backed him to perform brilliantly as skipper
England pacer Mark Wood revealed that he is one of the very few cricketers to play under Ben Stokes' captaincy and backed the star all-rounder to perform brilliantly as the skipper. Ben Stokes is all set to captain England in the first Test against the West Indies as Joe Root will be away due to the birth of his second daughter. The Durham all-rounder has never captained a side before - either first-class or the national side, although he was named the side's red-ball format vice-skipper post the World Cup last year.
'He has a good cricket brain'
Mark Wood said that he had been one of the very few players who had played under Stokes' captaincy as he recalled the latter's stint at the helm of affairs at Durham Academy against Scotland during his U-19 days. Wood heaped praise on Stokes and said that he had a good cricket brain and backed him to lead the side efficiently despite not having the experience as a skipper. Resonating Stokes' claim, Wood said that the former would be aided on the field by experienced cricketers such as Stuart Broad and James Anderson and that he would never impose his opinion on the side.
Wood recalled Stokes' days as skipper in Durham Academy and said that the all-rounder had transitioned into becoming a mature senior player since then. The England pacer credited Stokes for being a good leader - both then and now and said that he had the ability to set an example for the rest of the side. Talking about cementing a spot in the test side in England's upcoming tour of West Indies, Wood said that he wouldn't be comfortable being aggressive against his own teammates as they play a warm-up game but will not refrain from being so if asked by his coach or the skipper. Wood also pointed out that he wanted to experiment with the skills he had learnt during the lockdown and that he wanted to give the best account of himself to impress the selectors.
'Won't change my style'
Speaking to BBC, the Stokes revealed that his style of playing will not change even if he has the additional responsibility as the skipper and vowed to take the positive route as he always does. The World Cup-winning cricketer pointed out that he always attempts to generate positivity, with both bat and ball and that he will continue to do so if handed over the reins of the side in the first Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Terming it as a huge honour to become the captain of England, Ben Stokes said that he was looking forward to the stint despite being aware that it was just for one game in the absence of skipper Root. Stokes opined that he would be an 'open captain' who would take the advice of ten other 'experienced' cricketers on the field before taking a call.
Updated 10:42 IST, July 2nd 2020