I’m the Scottie Pippen to Joe’s Michael Jordan: Ben Stokes ready to lead England

Even though Ben Stokes will have his own way of leading the team, Stokes assured Joe Root’s absence will not be felt.

All-rounder Ben Stokes is confident of doing a good job as captain as he gets set to lead England in the first Test against West Indies next months. As per Stokes, he is the ‘Scottie Pippen to Joe’s Michael Jordan,’ which means that even though the England all-rounder will have his own way of leading the team, he will ensure Root’s absence is not felt.

Ben Stokes doesn’t have much experience in captaincy. (Getty Images)

“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,” Stokes wrote in his Daily Mirror column.

“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.”

Root expecting his second child somewhere during the first week of July, Stokes, his deputy in Tests, is the likely candidate to lead the team for the opening Test at the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium in Manchester. Stokes was stripped off England’s vice-captain due to his Bristol brawl incident but was reinstated before last year’s Ashes.

“One of his great qualities as vice-captain and as a leader is that he sets the example. The way he goes about training, how he wants to bowl in difficult circumstances, the way he stands up in different scenarios with the bat – he drags people with him,” Root had told reporters.