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Stokes does not need extra captaincy pressure, says Pietersen
LONDON, June 8, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Kevin Pietersen does not think Ben
Stokes should captain England if Joe Root is forced to miss a game
against the West Indies because it would heap too much pressure on the
all-rounder.
Root’s wife is due to give birth in July, meaning he risks missing
one of the three behind-closed-doors Tests against the Caribbean side
next month.
Root has backed vice-captain Stokes to do a good job in his
absence, but former England skipper Pietersen is wary about the
all-rounder assuming even more responsibility.
Pietersen, who said he “hated” the responsibility of being captain
of England for a brief spell, would prefer wicketkeeper-batsman Jos
Buttler to take over.
“Do I want to see Ben Stokes change from who he is and the current
player he is? Probably not. Jos Buttler would be my guy,” he told
talkSPORT.
“The entertainers and the guys that have to carry the mantle in the
team sometimes aren’t the best captains and sometimes struggle with
the extra added pressure.”
Pietersen said the captaincy changed how players were viewed in the
dressing room.
“I struggled with it, I absolutely hated it and I was rubbish,” he
said. “You have to change and I couldn’t command the respect of the
dressing room.”
England begin their summer of cricket, which has been badly
affected by the coronavirus pandemic, on July 8 with the first Test
against the West Indies.
Further international matches against Pakistan, Australia and
Ireland are all pencilled in, but they are all likely to be played in
empty stadiums.
“I would rather be in the broadcaster chair than in the players’
chair because entertainers like atmosphere and you are going to have
to build your own atmosphere and dig as deep as you can to try your
best and perform in front of a whisper,” Pietersen said.
“It is going to be hard, especially for cricket. Six hours, when
you’re in the field and guys are batting and you’re 100 overs into an
innings, England are going to have to dig deep because it is going to
feel like a warm-up game, with no one watching.”
BSS/AFP/MRU/1735hrs