Ben Stokes He has insisted he has no ambition to lead England and has given the captain unconditional support Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood Before the 4th Ashes Test at the SCG.
On a day as the Covid net began to close more tightly, Silverwood himself tested positive for the virus, and England faced two local net bowlers who had to withdraw after their lateral-flow tests returned positive results. Stokes dismissed the suggestions. Wanted to step up from the vice-captain.
“I have never had any ambition to become the captain,” he said. ‘It’s totally Joe’s decision. He should not be forced to do so.
Ben Stokes (right) has offered his support to Joe Root (left) to stay on as England captain
Under-fire England coach Chris Silverwood was also backed by Stokes despite the Ashes debacle, which sees the team 3-0 down with two Tests to go.
‘I’m sure Cookie felt the same way. He did it for so long: when he knew his time was up, his time was up. Those discussions have yet to be recorded anywhere near Joe.
‘The captain is much more than setting the field, choosing the team, making decisions in between. A captain is someone you want to go out and play for. Joe Root is someone I’ve always wanted to play for.
Stokes, who led his country in a Test against the West Indies when Root was on paternity leave, and three ODIs against Pakistan last summer, when England was hit by a Covid outbreak, was always dressing- Has been a staunchly loyal member of the Room.
This may explain his unconditional support of Silverwood, who was already in isolation in Melbourne because his own diagnosis came when a family member tested positive; A third member of his family has also caught the virus.
Stokes captained England against West Indies in 2020 with Root on paternity leave
He also captained a weakened England ODI team to a 3–0 series win over Pakistan in 2021.
And while Silverwood is likely to be one of the first casualties of England’s disappointing Ashes campaign, Stokes quickly moved to his defence.
“He is the coach of the real players,” he said. ‘He stands up for you as individuals and as players. Chris and Joe know very well that they have everyone’s support out there, and that’s what matters.
Returning to international cricket after a break to take care of his mental health and injured finger, Stokes has lacked his usual pace in the first three Tests, averaging 16 with the bat and 62 with the ball.
He has even surpassed Australia’s No. 9 Mitchell Starc in the ICC Test all-rounder rankings.
And while he described his own performance as ‘pretty average’, he also admitted that there have been times in the series when he didn’t know how to deal with Australia’s bowlers.
Stokes calls his Ashes performances ‘pretty average’
Mitchell Starc celebrating the wicket of Stokes during the second innings in Melbourne
‘When I look at the clock we had to be with Pati before the game was over in Melbourne’ [Cummins] And the bowling of Mitch Starc, even as I was watching it, “I don’t know what I’ll do to counter it.”
“I think it was the highest quality bowling I’ve seen in a Test match. I don’t think 49,000 people have ever booed me when I went out.
‘I actually told a few people the next morning that this is the first time I’ve been stunned by the atmosphere of a field. Though we were at the end, it was quite special to feel that at the MCG.
Stokes was speaking when England removed all net bowlers from their practice session on Sunday morning after learning they tested positive. But he continued to train, at one point taking over the throwdown duty himself.
Stokes celebrates the wicket of Alex Carey during England’s third Test loss at the MCG
New rules in Australia mean you are classified as a close contact only if you have spent at least four hours with a confirmed case in a home setting.
Cricket Australia later said that both bowlers had recently recovered from Covid, and therefore ‘posed no risk to the England playing group’.
But he conceded that the bowlers should not have been allowed into the nets until their results were back.
Nevertheless, on Sunday afternoon, England players conducted their seventh COVID tests in eight days.
This was followed by news that after traveling 520 miles by road from the Gold Coast, a close contact ended former ODI captain Adam Holyoke’s hopes of helping him in the net session. He is now in isolation at the team hotel.
Meanwhile, former Australian seamer Glenn McGrath has tested positive, putting him out of the traditional build-up to the sport of pink since January 2009, for the McGraw Foundation following the death of his first wife, Jane. Raised money Cancer.
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