Ben Stokes Full support Harry Brooke as the preferred successor to lead the England Test team upon his retirement from international cricket. Brooke, who currently captains England in ODIs and T20Is, serves as Stokes’ vice-captain in Test matches and is widely considered the frontrunner to take over the role permanently.Interestingly, when Stokes missed the second Test against New Zealand, the England management opted for the former captain Joe Root Leading the team in Brook’s place. However, Stokes made it clear that he had no involvement in the decision and reiterated his belief that Brook was the natural choice to succeed him.“He has been asked to be vice-captain of this team for a reason and I know in the controversy over the last few weeks, some decisions have been made but I was not involved in those decisions,” Stokes said after England’s defeat in the farewell Test.
Harry Brooke should be the natural successor
The 35-year-old explained that Brooke’s promotion will simply follow the traditional leadership path within the team.“For some reason you’re asked to be vice-captain of a team and I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time and it’s a natural progression. If the captain isn’t available or can’t play then you step up. So there’s absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn’t be asked to do that,” Stokes added.Stokes also highlighted Brooke’s growing influence in the dressing room, backing the Yorkshire batsman to thrive in the role.“He’s obviously an incredible player and one of the more senior players in this group. Only time will tell, but if you don’t think someone has the skills and ability to be vice-captain of the team when the need arises, you wouldn’t ask him to be vice-captain. If someone asked me who I thought should be vice-captain, I would support Harry Brooke 100 per cent,” Stokes concluded.Brooke was officially appointed as England white-ball captain in April 2025 following the resignation of Jos Buttler and recently led the team to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Harry Brook has become a superstar in Test cricket and is currently ranked second in the world in the ICC Test batting rankings, behind teammate Joe Root.
