England Ashes star Ben Stokes should NOT be named captain as ‘he has enough on his plate’, claims James Anderson
ENGLAND hero Ben Stokes should NOT be named Test captain as "he has enough on his plate", according to pal and team-mate James Anderson.
Joe Root's future as England Test skipper has been called into question after Australia retained the Ashes with victory at Old Trafford.
Going into the fifth and final game, at The Oval, Anderson has revealed he believes Root is the man for the job.
The Yorkshire batsman, 28, has struggled with the bat - while his captaincy decisions have raised eyebrows at times during the tricky Ashes series.
But writing in his column for SunSport, Anderson claimed: "Joe Root has had three ducks.
"That’s a big difference right there because Joe is the one we look to score the bulk of our runs.
"There are some mutterings about Joe’s future as captain. But I think he is doing a very good job.
"We’ve had a couple of tough years, especially since Cooky retired and we’ve been trying to find a couple of opening batsman.
STEP TOO FAR
"We’re going in the right direction and I think Joe is the man to lead us forward.
"Who could take over anyway? Ben Stokes is a leader in the group and is doing a fantastic job as vice-captain.
"But giving him the captaincy might be a step too far.
"He has enough on his plate as batsman, bowler, fielder and leader in all formats."
Stokes has been Man of the Match in two of the four Tests against Australia - with Steve Smith winning the other two.
The Durham all-rounder famously led England to victory in the World Cup final earlier this summer.
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But his sensational knock in the Third Test stole his nation victory from the jaws of defeat at Headingley in one of the most thrilling games in cricket history.
Stokes will now be assessed to see whether he is able to bowl in the Fifth Test after picking up a shoulder injury in Manchester.
Even if he can't bowl, Stokes will almost certainly be picked as a specialist batsman.