Ben Stokes to lead England in 1st Test against West Indies

England All-rounder Ben Stokes is set to make his captaincy debut in the 1st Test against West Indies starting on July 8 at Southampton. Regular Test captain Joe Root will be heading home for the birth of his second child.

Root will not be part of the 3-day intra-squad warm-up game that begins today at the Rose Bowl. He will join his wife Carrie with whom he’s expecting his second child next week. Once he’s out of the hospital, Root will have to spend seven days in home isolation, the ECB confirmed. He’ll then be able to join the team 3 days before the start of the 2nd Test at Old Trafford on July 16.

Root had earlier backed Stokes for captaincy, saying he would be a ‘fantastic’ leader for England.

“I think if Ben was captain he would be fantastic.”

“One of his great qualities as vice-captain and as a leader is he sets the example, the way he goes about his training. How he wants to bowl in difficult circumstances, the way he stands up in different scenarios with the bat.”

“He drags people with him and gets the best out of the players around him. I think that’s a great quality to have as a leader. Something he can take into captaincy if he was to get the opportunity. I could see him doing a very good job.”

Buttler named vice-captain

Jos Buttler has been named Stokes’ deputy, which means he’s most likely to don the keeping gloves. Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow, who are currently part of the pre-series training group, will have to wait for their turn. Foakes was part of the England squad in the cancelled Sri Lanka tour earlier this year. While Bairstow lost his place as the keeper after a poor Ashes series with the bat.

Team Stokes v Team Buttler!

We have named the sides for our three-day intra squad match starting tomorrow ????????

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 30, 2020

Root’s departure leaves England with some interesting choices for the No.4 batting position. Dom Sibley and Rory Burns are likely to open the innings, with Zak Crawley potentially filling the No.3 spot. Although, he could be competing with Joe Denly for the same place. England could also try out 22-year-old Dan Lawrence in place of Root, or include Bairstow as a specialist batsman and strengthen the batting line-up. In that case, Stokes could promote himself up the order.