Ben Stokes desires to be a coach after his retirement.
England's Ben Stokes reacts after the dismissal of batting partner Chris Woakes during the 2019 Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord's Cricket Ground in London on July 14, 2019. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP)
England star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has been in sublime form in the ongoing year, admitted on Friday that he is not interested in leading the English side in the future, saying that captaincy is a “huge burden”.
Notably, the 29-year-old, who led the Three Lions to victory in the 2019 World Cup final, currently serves as deputy to Test skipper Joe Root, but is not desperate to lead the side.
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“That’s not an aspiration of mine. It’s just not one of those things I’m desperate to do,” Stokes told the BBC’s Today programme as quoted by PTI.
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“I’m very happy at the moment being vice-captain, we’ve got a great leader in Joe.
Stokes feels that captaincy brings immense pressure with itself. “You never know how you handle the pressure of being England captain unless you do it. Being the Test captain of England — so much pressure comes with it.
“It’s a huge burden to carry because everything falls back on you, especially if it goes bad, and you never know how you’ll handle that pressure until you walk out onto the field as England captain.
“So I’ve got no idea how I’d handle it if I did it but, as I say, it’s not an aspiration of mine.”
At present, Stokes is on England’s tour of New Zealand and looks to finish a memorable year on a high note.
However, the Christchurch-born player desires to be a coach after his retirement.
“I guess there always comes a time when you have to start seriously thinking about it and I always say I’d love to be a coach in the future,” said Stokes.
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