Fast-bowler Stuart Broad has backed his teammate and top-order batsman Joe Root as the premier candidate to lead the England Test side before admitting he won’t also shy away from captaincy if given a chance.
“For me, in the best interests of the team in the medium and long term, I believe a younger modern-day captain is the way to go,” Broad was quoted as saying by The Daily Mail.
Earlier this week, Broad had a meeting with England’s Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss alongside all-rounder Ben Stokes and team’s vice captain Joe Root.
“Joe Root looks like just the man for the job for me. He’s not had a lot of captaincy experience so he will have to learn on the job, but he wouldn’t be the first England captain to have to do that,” Broad said.
After the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of India in a five-match Test series last year, Alastair Cook was criticized by former cricketers and fans back home.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where a professional sportsman would turn down the chance to captain their country if the offer was made, and I’m no different,” Broad added.
The 32-year-old Cook relinquished from Test captaincy last week and the England Cricket Board (ECB) has started the process to decide the new Test leader.
“But for me, it feels time for the next generation to be given that responsibility. I’m more than happy to be a strong senior player who helps guide that evolution,” Broad remarked.
As per the speculations, Root has been tipped to become Cook’s successor.
“Joe is the best player in the team and he’s in a position where his game can cope with the pressures of captaining England,” Broad further said.
The 30-year-old Broad has played 102 Tests, in which he has bagged 368 wickets since making his Test debut in December 2007 against Sri Lanka.
“He’s [Root] played all three formats and coped really well and I don’t see why that would be affected by the captaincy,” Broad concluded.
The right-handed batsman Root made his Test debut in 2012 in India.
So far, he has played 53 Tests and has amassed 4,594 runs at an average of around 53.