Ben Stokes: threw his full support Harry Brooke as his chosen successor to lead England’s Test team after his retirement from international cricket. Brook, who currently captains England in ODIs and T20Is, serves as Stokes’ vice-captain in the Test setup and is widely considered to be the front-runner to take on the role permanently.Interestingly, when Stokes was unavailable for the second Test against New Zealand, the England management opted for the former captain. Joe Root: to lead the side instead of Brook. However, Stokes made it clear that he had nothing to do with the decision and reiterated his belief that Brook was the natural choice to replace him.“There’s a reason why he’s been asked to be vice-captain of this team, I know with all the controversy in the last two weeks, some decisions have been made, but those are decisions I’m not part of making,” Stokes said after England’s defeat in his farewell Test.
Harry Brook should be a natural heir
The 35-year-old explained that Brook’s promotion will follow the traditional path of leadership within the team.“You’re asked to be vice-captain of a team for a specific reason, I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time, and it’s a natural progression. If the captain isn’t there or isn’t available, then you step in to do that. So there’s absolutely no reason why Harry wouldn’t be asked to do it,” added Stokes.Stokes also highlighted Brook’s growing influence within the dressing room, backing the Yorkshire batter to thrive in the role.“He’s someone who is obviously a fantastic player and one of the more senior players in this group. Only time will tell, but you don’t ask someone to be vice-captain if you don’t think they’ve got the skills and ability to captain the team when they need to.Brook was officially appointed England’s white-ball captain in April 2025 following the resignation of Jos Buttler and recently led the side to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Harry Brook has established himself as a generational superstar in Test cricket, currently occupying the World No. 2 spot in the ICC Test Batting Rankings right behind teammate Joe Root.