LONDON
\nFormer England captains Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain have thrown their support behind all-rounder Ben Stokes to become the team\u2019s test captain after Joe Root stepped down.
\nBookmakers and Hussain say bowler Stuart Broad is the second favourite to replace Root.
\nRoot ended his five-year tenure as the test skipper on Friday, saying the job had taken a heavy toll on him recently after dispiriting tours of Australia and the Caribbean capped a string of poor results.
\nStokes, who was Root\u2019s deputy, is best placed to take over but would need support from a \u201csenior core\u201d, Vaughan said.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t see anyone else who could take the position and be guaranteed of their place in the side,\u201d Vaughan told the BBC.
\n\u201cIn Ben Stokes, you have clearly got someone who has got a smart cricket brain, he\u2019s going to give it everything, he is certainly going to have the respect of the players around him.\u201d
\nFormer skipper Michael Atherton also backed Stokes, saying he was the \u201cobvious\u201d replacement for Root.
\nStokes took an indefinite break from cricket in July to focus on his mental health while also recovering from a second operation on a broken finger, but returned to the England squad for the Ashes series.
\nThe 30-year-old has not been training after suffering pain in his left knee in March but he is on course to return for the County Championship next month for Durham.
\nHussain said Stokes was \u201cnaturally gifted\u201d but England would have to be sure he can cope with the demands of the role.
\n\u201cYou have to be in a good place mentally and physically to do the job \u2014 and Ben has had his problems away from the field,\u201d Hussain wrote in his Daily Mail column.
\n\u201cWhoever the new director of cricket is, the first thing they must do is … sit down with Stokes, look him in the eye and find out where he is,\u201d Hussain said.
\nHe also added that if not Stokes, then \u201con a short-term basis this summer, the principle of picking your best side leads me to Broad\u201d.
\nBroad is England\u2019s second-highest wicket-taker in tests, but the 35-year-old was omitted from the squad for their tour of the West Indies last month.
\n\u201cStuart has a brilliant cricket brain, lots of experience and is a fighter who wants to win every game he plays in,\u201d Hussain said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Former England captains Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain have thrown their support behind all-rounder Ben Stokes to become the team\u2019s test captain after Joe Root stepped down. Bookmakers and Hussain say bowler Stuart Broad is the second favourite to replace Root. Root ended his five-year tenure as the test skipper on Friday, saying the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-255675","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n