“He shouldn't captain by committee”, Nasser Hussain warns Ben Stokes

Stokes has been named the new captain of the England Test side.

By Abhishek Ghan - 30 Apr, 2022

Joe Root resigned as England's Test captain earlier this month, following a crushing loss in the Ashes down under (4-1) and the subsequent series in the Caribbean (1-0).

Root led the team to 27 victories, making him the most successful England Test captain. However, England could only win one of their last 17 Tests with him at the helm.

The flamboyant Ben Stokes, 30, has been named as Root's successor, with English cricket striving for a resurgence in its Test fortunes.

Amid the development, former skipper Nasser Hussain has said that Stokes should go by his “gut” feeling rather than "captain by committee".

SEE ALSO: "I fully expect him to continue his brilliance with a bat in hand," Ben Stokes on Joe Root

The cricketer-turned-commentator also said Rob Key, who was appointed the new managing director of England men's cricket earlier this month, would have to protect Stokes from burnout.

"The point is that Ben is his own man. He's driven, he's got a good cricket brain ...," Hussain wrote in his Daily Mail column. 

"Ben will have to use his gut, and my only advice is that he shouldn't captain by committee.”

"Sometimes with Root, there was too much input from those off the field, so he never found a gut feel for tactics."

"Clearly, his workload will need managing. Key has to work out what, in golf terms, are his majors," he added.

The former captain also said that the top priority for the team should be to win a few matches.

"For a team who have won just one out of 17 and are bottom of the World Test Championship, stringing together some victories is the No 1 priority.” 

Nasser said that the 30-year-old cricketer should not be his side’s fifth bowler.

"Whatever happens, if he needs resting - and Stokes will have to be honest with Key and the selectors - then England should pay attention.”

"There is no point bowling himself into the ground, which then affects the balance of the team. He should be England's fifth bowler, no more."

Stokes will begin his stint in June with a two-Test series against his native country, New Zealand.

(REUTERS INPUTS)

 

By Abhishek Ghan - 30 Apr, 2022

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