England coach Chris Silverwood has placed his trust and confidence on Test team vice-captain Ben Stokes who is all set to lead in the opening Test of the three-match series against the West Indies in the absence of regular captain Joe Root.
“I think he will do a great job. He is a talisman, isn’t he? He leads from the front anyway. He is conscious of the people around him as well so I think he will do a great job in Joe Root’s absence,” Silverwood was quoted as saying by ‘The Guardian’ newspaper.
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Asked how Stokes will go about his business Silverwood said: “We will find out won’t we? We know he has got an aggressive nature but equally there is a good cricket brain in there as well. I think he will be quite vocal about what moves he is making out there.
“I’m looking forward to working with him from a coaching point of view. I will extend him the same courtesies I do to Rooty. He will have a lot of say in what is going on and he will play a big part in giving his opinions across selection as well.”
Silverwood is not worried about Stokes’ lack of experience as captain.
“He’s been Rooty’s right-hand man for a while now. I know Rooty does turn to him a lot. He’s been involved in a lot of talks we have behind the scenes.”
Earlier, Stokes himself had assured that captaincy would not bring any change in his approach to the game and all he will try to do is to make a positive impact with the ball or bat.
“I always try to set the example in terms of attitude and commitment,” Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“Having the added responsibility of being a captain also comes with pressure, in terms of making decisions through tough periods of the game.
“But that’s not going to change the way that I go about things. I’ll try to make a positive impact with the ball or bat in my hand. No matter what I do, it will always be the positive route,” he added.
England and West Indies will face each other in a bio-secure environment. The first Test is scheduled to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton (July 8-12) with the second and third matches at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 16-20 and then July 24-28.