Ben Stokes he has thrown all his support behind him Harry Brook as his successor to lead the England Test team after his retirement from international cricket. Brook, who is currently England’s captain in ODIs and T20Is, has served as Stokes’ vice-captain in Test matches and is considered the frontrunner to take over the role permanently.Interestingly, when Stokes was unavailable for the second Test against New Zealand, the England management chose the former captain. Joe Root leading the side instead of Brook. However, Stokes made it clear that he was not involved in the decision and reiterated his belief that Brook is the natural choice to win against him.“There’s a reason he was asked to be vice-captain of the team, I know with all the controversy of the last few weeks, there were decisions made, but those were decisions I wasn’t involved in,” Stokes said after England’s farewell Test defeat.
Harry Brook should be the natural successor
The 35-year-old explained that Brook’s promotion follows a leadership process within the group.“You’re being asked to be vice-captain of the team for some reason, I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time, and I’m going natural. If the captain isn’t there or isn’t available, then you step up to do it. So there’s no reason why Harry shouldn’t be asked to do it,” Stokes added.Stokes also highlighted Brook’s growing influence within the dressing room, helping the Yorkshire batsman to thrive in the role.“He is someone who is obviously an incredible player and one of the best players in this team. Only time will tell, but you don’t ask someone to be vice-captain if you don’t think they have the skills and ability to lead the team when they need it. If I was asked who I think should do it, I would throw my 100% support behind Stokes Harryd Brook.Brook was appointed England captain in April 2025 following the resignation of Jos Buttler and recently led the side at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Harry Brook has established himself as the greatest batsman in Test cricket, currently sitting at World No. 2 place in the ICC Test Batting Rankings behind his compatriot Joe Root.
