Hard to imagine Ben Stokes as long-term pick as England captain, says Michael Atherton
Michael Atherton shared his thoughts on Ben Stokes Test captaincy.
|The English Cricket Board recently announced that Ben Stokes would be taking over the Test captaincy after Joe Root and many experts felt that it was the right call. However, former England cricketer Michael Atherton feels that it would be a mistake to think of Ben Stokes as a long-term option.
Ben Stokes is set to lead England as the Test captain after an official announcement was made by the English and Wales Cricket Board. Stokes became the 81st Test skipper of his country after he replaced his predecessor Joe Root on Thursday. Joe Root took his team to new heights in the longest format of the game and is the most successful Test skipper in England's history in terms of wins. The all-rounder will don the captaincy hat for the first time and it might help English cricket get back on track.
Former England skipper Michael Atherton has a different take on Ben Stokes becoming captain in Test cricket for England. He believes that the left-handed batter cannot be a long-term option for his country.
"It would be a mistake to imagine Stokes as necessarily a long-term pick. Having seen the way the job wears down even the toughest and flintiest of characters, there is no need for the same to happen to Stokes," Micheal Atherton wrote in his column for The Times, as quoted by Mirror.co.uk.
The former England skipper feels that Stokes should be given the job only for a short span of time.
"Let him give the job his all for a short period of time, hoping to help transform attitudes and approach, and then step away while he has more to give as a player," Atherton wrote.
