Ben Stokes will speak to the media for the first time as the new England Test captain on Tuesday morning; Michael Atherton: “If there is no manager there, it will be an opportunity for Ben to absolutely control him, mold the team and say this is the way we are going to run things”
Ben Stokes will address the media for the first time as England’s new test captain on Tuesday, with Michael Atherton excited at the prospect of the talismanic all-rounder molding the team in his image.
Atherton, who captained England 51 times between 1993 and 1998, described Stokes as “the obvious choice” to succeed Joe Root in the job following his appointment last Thursday.
Stokes’ first game in charge will be against New Zealand at Lord’s from June 2, the first game of a three-Test series against the Black Caps.
Rob Key, the new managing director of England men’s cricket, said he is “optimistic” a new head coach will also be in place before the first test of the summer, but Atherton doesn’t think that is essential.
“Ben Stokes is going to be his own guy; now he has a chance to shape that team and take it in a different direction,” Atherton said. Sky sports news.
“There may not be a coach on site in time. These things go through a process; I think May 6th is when job applications close and June 2nd is the first test match. That’s pretty tight.
“That’s not a bad thing in my opinion. I don’t think since Sir Andrew Strauss that an England captain has really taken over a dressing room.”
Atherton noted Stokes’ reintegration into the Test squad in 2015 after a run due to form and fitness, which saw him thrive in the first two Tests of the summer against New Zealand under caretaker manager Paul Farbrace.
Trevor Bayliss’s appointment was announced midway through that tied series, one in which Stokes smashed the fastest Test century in history at Lord’s, hitting 85 balls, as well as 92 in the first inning, and claimed three wickets in one. match-winning performance. in the first test.
Atherton added: “If there’s no manager there, it’s going to be an opportunity for Ben to absolutely control him, shape the team and say ‘this is the way we’re going to run things’.”
“When Farbrace was interim coach before Bayliss came in, that’s actually when Stokes came back on the team, so it’s not a disaster if there’s no coach by June 2.”
As for who should be the man to ultimately lead the England Test squad in the future, Atherton was unable to pick a name, although he added that he was pleased to see England looking to make two appointments, in red and white. cricket ball
“Who should that be? My God, all the candidates that have been talked about are very good. Gary Kirsten is a very good candidate, Simon Katich is an excellent candidate. There will be a lot of people.
“However, it is the right thing to do to divide, or seek to divide, the work. Years ago I said on Sky that England needed to consider divided managerial roles.
“You look at the schedules now, they are so tight that it is very difficult for one man to do everything.
“In mid-summer, England will be in Amsterdam for some one-day internationals in the middle of a Test series. How does one man plan that? It’s impossible.
“Last year, when England were in Dubai playing the T20 World Cup, the Ashes appeared two weeks later. Impossible.
“Looking at dividing responsibilities is exactly the right way to go. Two separate coaching staffs for Test cricket and Limited Overs cricket, which will make life a lot easier.”
