Ben Stokes has shared his apprehension with Joe Root that the England Test captaincy could become a burden, mirroring the difficulties Root experienced before relinquishing the role in 2022. Stokes also conveyed his surprise that vice-captain Harry Brook was not promoted to lead the team.
Root stepped down as captain four years ago, citing a "very unhealthy relationship" with the position, which was compounded by operating under COVID-19 restrictions for his final two years. These challenges had underpinned Stokes' initial success as captain after taking over from his close friend, aiming to ease the pressure on Root and a team constrained by demanding biosecure environments.
The decision to reappoint Root as captain was reportedly influenced by newly appointed Test head coach Stephen Fleming, following Brendon McCullum's departure. Stokes believes this decision might have differed had he not retired himself.
Having previously worked with Fleming at the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant, Stokes is confident the 53-year-old will be an ideal mentor for Root. However, he expressed concern that Root's selfless nature might once again work against him.
"I love Rooty, I wish him nothing but success," Stokes stated. "I hope he goes on and achieves amazing things in his role as captain. I think he's going to really enjoy Flem, he's a great man. I've worked with Flem before. But I told Joe, my only worry is you. And that's all I really care about now with Rooty, just because I've seen what he went through and how much he put himself through. For someone, he just always puts the team first and he always comes second. That's my only concern with it, knowing what he went through last time he was in charge of the team. Because I don't want to see that ever happen again because I care for Joe a lot."
Harry Brook, who was appointed vice-captain from the Ashes onwards, was overlooked for the captaincy. He was also not considered earlier in the summer when Stokes was unavailable for the second New Zealand Test due to an off-field incident. Managing director Rob Key recently indicated that the ECB felt it was "too soon" to hand Brook the Test captaincy, a sentiment Stokes disagrees with.
"If you think someone's going to be a good captain or a good leader, then just give it to them even if… Brooky, made vice captain, I'm not there anymore, but even when I missed that test match, I was like, 'Why is Brooky not [leading]… like, he's vice captain?!' I understood the reasoning why they were saying it, but I was still like, 'Well, what message is that sending to him? He's vice captain and then the captain is not playing, but he's not captain.' And then the same again here [with the full-time job]," Stokes explained.
He added, "What message has that sent? Brooky will… just go out there and bat. He'll just be like, 'It's fine, whatever'. Because he just loves batting, he loves scoring runs, he loves playing cricket. Again, I don't know. I had no leadership or captaincy experience when I took over."
Stokes also addressed questions about the team's relationship with alcohol, particularly in light of Brook's incident in New Zealand and a series of events during the Ashes that England lost 4-1. He argued that the issue is not specific to the England team but is ingrained in cricket itself.
"God, that's such an extreme thing to put on a team. I think cricket has just a drinking culture and it hasn't changed. We're in… 2026 where the game has gone more professional over the years. And one thing that I think has just stayed within cricket is its relationship with alcohol, from club cricket and then works its way up. It's just stayed there and it's been embedded within the sport," Stokes said.
He elaborated, "The relationship with alcohol and cricket is just something that hasn't moved on as the game of cricket has become more professional. There's been more science and medicine, there's more nutritional information, there's more this, there's more that. But the one thing that has been a constant and stayed around and has been for a very long time is its relationship with alcohol. So for people who think that the English cricket team has a drinking culture, I'd say no. I would just say cricket has culture that is associated with alcohol."
Stokes believes this culture can be problematic, citing numerous individuals in cricket who have struggled with alcohol. "I've had… I don't want to say problems, but I've had relationships with alcohol at times over my career that have been potentially dangerous, if that makes sense. But it's completely different to me now. But yeah, I just think that there's this relationship with alcohol within cricket that has been the same from the '80s. As the game has got better and better and better, that thing has just stayed around. That's my opinion on cricket and alcohol."
Looking ahead, Stokes disclosed his ambition to coach England in the future. He has been pursuing his ECB Level Three coaching badge over the past 18 months, balancing it with his playing commitments for Durham.
"I want to be a coach. I know what I want to do within staying in the game, which is to be a coach. Would I love to be coach of England one day? Absolutely, I'd love to do that. Do I think it's going to happen? I don't know. No idea," he commented.
Regarding a potential return to playing Test cricket, Stokes reiterated his firm stance that retirement is final. He had initially planned to finish his career after the 2027 Ashes series but brought his retirement forward by 12 months due to a series of injuries and the cumulative toll of 15 years as an England cricketer.
"I spoke to Claire [Stokes' wife] a lot about this even before I took the decision. We were sort of, 'oh, you always plan your retirement. You always go, okay, boom, boom, boom'. And it was the 2027 Ashes. Whatever happens there, you're going, [but] not sure I can go past that. And then over time, it was, 'How am I going to get there? How am I going to get to Australia 2027 with how everything is feeling at the moment?'" he recalled.
He continued, "Even New Zealand, [while] playing for Durham… I'm like, 'I'm going to get to end of the New Zealand series…How am I going to get to Pakistan? Jesus, I'm worried about how I'm going to get there!' And I'm thinking that Australia's going to be my last one? I'm 35. If I'm not going to be captain, I think I'd find it tough to do it. Not saying because I find it tough to be led by someone else. I just think because I've given so much of this part of my career to that job that it's like, if I'm going to play for England, it's going to be as captain. And yeah, I was very comfortable retiring from playing and not thinking about playing for England just as captain."
