Making the best player captain does not necessarily work but it is just reward for the all-rounder turning his career around
Ben Stokes, captain of England. Prime Minister
Boris Johnson.
Donald Trump, president of the
USA. Half a dozen years ago it would have been tricky to decide which of these outcomes was the most ridiculous. Now there are many out there who might conclude that Stokes’s elevation to the top
Job is the one that makes the most sense.
Certainly
England Cricket coaches, old and new, have no hesitation in endorsing Stokes taking charge of the Test team. Trevor Bayliss and Chris Silverwood, sound judges both, are confident he is the right man to take over. So, too, are the players from Joe Root downwards. Stokes is now regarded as the heartbeat of the side on and off the field, which makes the captaincy seem like a natural progression.