Joe Root: Ben Stokes doing "brilliant job" as captain

GEORGE DOBELL IN WELLINGTON: While good individual performances have been in short supply for the captain, Joe Root has "no doubt" Stokes will "stand up and deliver" when required

Ben Stokes is doing a "brilliant job" as captain, according to the man he replaced in the role.

Joe Root feels that Stokes' ability as a man manager is "as good as [he's] seen" and his success at coaxing the best out of players, both young and old, is "getting the best out of 10 other players".

England have won 10 out of 11 Tests since Stokes was permanently appointed as captain and go into the third day of the second Test against New Zealand very much on top. If they avoid defeat in the match, it will be their first series victory in the country in 15 years and New Zealand's first home defeat since 2017.

"I think Ben is doing a brilliant job of getting the best out of himself as a leader," Root said. "The decisions he's making under pressure and the way that he's managing the team and his players is as good as I've seen.

"You look at all of the young lads that are thriving at the moment: he's certainly getting the best out of them.

^{Root praised Stokes' ability to bring out the best in his players [Phil Walter/Getty Images]}

"But he's also continually getting more out of guys like Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson. So not only is he managing young players well, but senior players, too. And managing to take their games even further and maximise what we've got as a skill level."

While Root acknowledged that Stokes had not recorded a big individual performance for a little while, he insisted it would be just around the corner. And, as a former captain himself, he knows how hard it can be to balance the requirements of team and self.

"There's no doubt that his own performances will come," Root said. "You know he's that kind of big game player. There will be a situation where we'll be up against it and he'll stand up and deliver. It's a matter of time in my eyes.

"But ultimately I think it's more important the contributions he's making as a leader at the minute because he's getting the best out of ten other players and that in itself is massive for this team.

"As captain, there were times when I was only focused on everyone else. And there were probably times when I was overly focused on myself.

"But I think it just comes through time and experience of understanding how you manage both roles. But he's doing everything, in my eyes, exceptionally well at the minute.

"It's a matter of time. It might be in the second innings he takes five for nothing and wraps things up for us but, or knocks things off if it starts to get spicy and they get a good score second innings."

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