London, (Samajweekly) Citing the example of the legendary partnership between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen at Chicago Bulls, England all-rounder Ben Stokes stated he is ready to cover for skipper Joe Root if he ends up missing the first Test against West Indies.
The two teams are scheduled to play a three-match Test series starting July 8 and it will also mark the resumption of cricket after the sport was suspended in March due to coronavirus pandemic.
Root remains doubtful for the first Test against West Indies, starting July 8, as his wife is also expecting around the same time. He will have to attend a mandatory seven days self-isolation in order to link-up with the squad again.
Stokes compared himself to Pippen, who took over Bulls after Jordan abruptly announced his retirement before the 1993-94 season, only to comeback in the 1995 season following a brief stint in the Minor Baseball League.
“There is a chance our skipper Joe Root may miss a Test this summer because he and his wife are expecting their second child,” Stokes wrote in his column for The Mirror.
“I’m the Scottie Pippen to Joe’s Michael Jordan. It is his team. But what would be the point of asking me to do the job if not for this kind of situation?
“I understand where Joe is taking the team and how he wants to lead it. So although I’ll make my own calls on the field and do the job as I see it as the game evolves, everything else will very much be the same as when Joe is there.”
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, however, feels Stokes doesn’t need captaincy burden just yet as according to him, entertainers like him don’t always make the best of captains.
Pietersen believes Jos Buttler would be his preferred choice as Stokes should be allowed to continue to play the role of match-winner without any futher pressure.
“Do I want to see Ben Stokes change from who he is and the current player he is? Probably not, Jos Buttler would be my guy,” Pietersen was quoted as saying by talkSPORT.
“As a player you are looked at completely differently until that phone call comes and you are announced as the Test captain.”
