Mumbai: Following Alastair Cook’s resignation as England Test captain, the England Cricket Board has interviewed three players to replace him, one of them being Joe Root.
The process got underway when Root met director of cricket Andrew Strauss and chairman of selectors James Whitaker. While Root is favourite to take over as captain, he faces competition from Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad.
Root had been touted as a future captain and he took a step towards that after being appointed the Test vice-captain at in 2015. Strauss took that decision as part of a succession plan for when Cook decided to hang up his boots.
Durham all-rounder Stokes’ leadership skills have a strong backer in England coach Trevor Bayliss. Stokes was made vice-captain to Jos Buttler for the ODI series against Bangladesh last year when Eoin Morgan pulled out over safety fears and Root was rested.
Stokes lacks no ambition but will want to captain the side in the near future but right now he would be happy as Root’s second in command. The two are close friends and played together for the first time in the England U-19 team.
Stuart Broad is the more senior player and his interview will have given Strauss and Co a different perspective on the direction that England team will take just nine months before defending the Ashes.
All three candidates were part of the 5-0 whitewash inflicted by Australia in the 2013-14 series.
The Board plans to announce their new Test captain on February 20, two days before the ODI squad travels to the Caribbean for a three-match series against the West Indies.
