England’s 2019 World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan on Friday has ruled himself out from the race of becoming the next men’s Test captain and has instead backed all-rounder Ben Stokes to take up the job after Joe Root’s resignation earlier in April.
Whoever becomes England’s Test captain has got the tough job to get the side on track with collective performances in all departments of the game. In its last 17 Tests, England have emerged victorious just once and lost the Ashes 4-0 in Australia followed by 1-0 defeat in West Indies.
“Obviously Ben is a fantastic player, a brilliant leader, though he doesn’t need to have the captain’s armband on to lead like he does. The experience of the World Cup final here (at Lord’s) really showed his true colours in the way that he led from start to finish – and throughout the whole tournament as well,” he said.
“He’d certainly be a candidate. I think it would be hard to turn down the captaincy. It’s a privileged position to be in. Obviously circumstances have to be right, but most people who want to take red-ball cricket forward would like to take it on.”