The English all-rounder Ben Stokes has recently got back the vice-captaincy role in Test cricket. He is ready to take up this role.
Ben Stokes had a tough time in the around last one and a half year. His nightmare started from his involvement in a street brawl outside a nightclub in September 2017. At that time, Stokes was the vice-captain of the English Test side.
But that brawl incident took away his vice-captaincy. Though Stokes wasn’t found guilty of affray in that incident, the Cricket Disciplinary Commission fined and suspended him for that incident in December 2018.
Recently, Stokes played a significant role for England to win their maiden Cricket World Cup trophy. In the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Stokes scored 465 runs in ten innings and also took seven wickets. He received Player of the Match award in the final against New Zealand for his desperate batting performance.
Stokes entirely missed the previous Ashes series (2017/18) due to the brawl incident, though he was initially in the English squad as a vice-captain. Now, once again Stokes has returned as a vice-captain for the Ashes 2019.
I take pride in being vice-captain – Ben Stokes
The 28-year-old Ben Stokes is ready to take the vice-captain responsibility in the upcoming crucial Test series.
Stokes recently said, “I love having that responsibility and it is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing. I take pride in being vice-captain. Being part of that think-tank is pretty cool.
“I am very good friends with Joe as well, off the field, and as much as I can do to help him through his career, not just as a captain but as a player as well, I am really looking forward to that challenge.
“I think it would have been just as exciting anyway. Playing in an Ashes series is always special and they don’t come around that often but being named vice-captain again was very good words to hear when I got the call.”
Everything is sort of on the Ashes now
After a long fight, England won the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup crown. Now, the England team is busy for the home Ashes 2019 where they will play a five-match Test series against Australia.
Stokes has claimed that the English team is now focusing only on the Ashes 2019. He said that the CWC victory was their half achievement as the Ashes 2019 victory will fulfil their dream.
Stokes claimed, “Everything is sort of on the Ashes now. We have had that time to let everything sink in and reflect on that amazing seven weeks we have had in the World Cup, but the World Cup was half of the journey that we wanted to achieve this summer and the other half is winning the Ashes.
“Everything has been focused on what we are going to do to beat the Australians. It is going to be a busy six weeks. Five Test matches against Australia isn’t easy.”
The Ashes 2019 will run from 1st August to 16th September 2019. England and Australia will play the first Test of this series at Edgbaston (Birmingham).