Ash: Ben Stokes backs Joe Root and Chris Silverwood as England qualify for the fourth leg

Ben Stokes he insisted that he had no ambition to lead England, and gave the captain unconditional support Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood before the fourth ash test at SCG.

On a day when Covid’s network seemed to be closing more and more tightly when Silverwood himself tested positive for the virus, England faced two local network players who had to be withdrawn after their tests sidestream gave positive results, Stokes rejected his proposals. wanted to take a step forward from the sub-captain.

“I never had any serious ambitions to become a captain,” he said. ‘It’s entirely Joe’s decision. We should not force him to do that.

‘I’m sure Cooky felt the same way. He had been doing this for so long: when he knew his time was up, his time was up. These discussions have not yet begun near Joe.

“The captaincy is more than just setting fields, choosing a team, making decisions in the middle. A captain is someone you want to go out and play for. Joe Root is someone I always want to play for.”

Stokes, who led his country in one test against the West Indies when Root was on paternity leave, and three ODIs against Pakistan last summer when England was hit by the Covid outbreak, has always been a very loyal wardrobe member.

This may explain his unconditional support for Silverwood, who was already in isolation in Melbourne because a family member was positive when his own diagnosis was made; a third member of his family was also infected with the virus.

And while Silverwood is probably one of the first victims in the English mourning campaign of Ashes, the Stokes quickly moved into their defense.

“He’s a real players coach,” he said. ‘He stands up for you as individuals and players. Chris and Joe are well aware that they have the support of everyone there, and that’s all that matters. ‘

Stokes, on his return to international cricket after a break to take care of his mental health and injured finger, lacked his usual enthusiasm, averaging 16 with a stick in the first three tests and 62 with a ball.

He was even overtaken by 9th Australian Mitchell Starc on the ICC test scale for versatility.

And while he described his performances as “pretty average”, he also admitted that they sometimes happened in the series when he didn’t know how to handle Australian bowlers.

Looking back on that hour, we had to hold out before the end of the match in Melbourne, with Pat [Cummins] and bowling by Mitch Starc, I also watched it happen: “I don’t know what I would do to prevent it.”

‘It was some of the best quality bowling I’ve seen in a test match. I don’t think 49,000 people have ever whistled at me when I went out.

The next morning, I actually told some of the guys that I was surprised for the first time by the atmosphere on the floor. Although we were on the sidelines, it was quite special to feel at MCG. ‘

Stokes spoke after England removed all net players from practice on Sunday morning after learning of the positive tests. But they continued to train, with Root taking over the throwing duties on his own at one point.

The new rules in Australia mean that you are classified as close contact only if you have spent at least four hours with a confirmed case in the household.

Cricket Australia later said the bowlers had recently recovered from Covid and “therefore posed no risk to the English acting group”.

However, they acknowledged that bowlers should not be left in the nets until their results are available.

Nevertheless, on Sunday afternoon, the English players passed the seventh set of Covid tests in eight days.

This followed news that former ODI captain Adam Hollioake’s hopes of helping with net sessions were shattered by close contact after traveling the Gold Coast 520 miles down the road. He is now in solitary confinement in a team hotel.

Meanwhile, former Australian sailor Glenn McGrath has been positive, making him excluded from the traditional game, which has gone rosy ever since January 2009 when he raised money for the McGrath Foundation after the death of his first wife Jane. cancer.