Ben Stokes All-Rounder All-rounder is the only player who can replace Joe Root as the captain of the test and change his fate following a gentle surrender in the ash series, said the former Australian Skipper Ricky Ponting on Saturday.
Root has been under pressure since England lost his third test last week when Australia took an unmound 3-0 advantage.
The visitors struggled to save the fourth test, need to pursue the target of 388 on the last day in Sydney.
If England loses the fourth test, it will be the 10th straight test in Australia as captain without victory.
“The only person who can take over is Ben Stokes,” Ponting told the Australian Cricket website.
“I think Stokes will actually grow as a player if he is the captain of the party.” I think with a little extra responsibility, it might be a better player and it might have a good impact on other team members.
“I didn’t know firmly well, but if I tried to change the british cricket’s face and try to give a little more heartbeat and a little more soul, then I thought he would be the person I was looking to lead the team.” Stokes, who scored 66 walked in the first round of the fourth test as he struggled through the left side tension, also considered a decent choice to replace the root by the former England captain Mike Atherton.
However, Stokes said before the fourth test that he had no ambition to become captain and support the roots to remain in the role of England even though it called for Yorkshireman to retreat.