Ben Stokes has issued an impassioned, expletive-laden statement after it was confirmed he would remain as England Test captain. The 34-year-old led England to a 4-1 Ashes defeat over the winter, losing the first three Tests to Australia in just 11 days of play.
Despite the heavy loss, Stokes will continue in his role alongside head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key, following an ECB review concluded last week. In an Instagram post on Monday, Stokes described the past three months as 'without a doubt the hardest period of his captaincy'.
'Being England captain is the greatest honour a player can be given and I do not take it for granted,' he wrote. 'It has its highs and its lows... the last 3 months has without a doubt been the hardest period of my captaincy journey.' He added: 'I F*****G love cricket, I F*****G love this team, I F*****G love being England captain and I have got so much more to give to this role.'
The ECB also moved to deny a reported bust-up between Stokes and McCullum over England's style of play. Key told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: 'Ben's probably slightly more conservative than Brendon, that's fine... as long as, fundamentally, you're pretty clear on what style of cricketer that you want.'
England are next in Test action in June against New Zealand, followed by a three-match series against Pakistan in August and September.
