Ben Stokes accepts offer of England captaincy by Rob Key to start new era for Test side

Ben Stokes will lead England out at Lord’s as the new Test captain after being offered the job by Rob Key.

Stokes was honoured to accept the role and take over from his friend and former skipper Joe Root to start a new era for the misfiring side.

With the decision made, it now requires the ECB board to ratify it before announcing it officially, as they do whenever a new England captain is appointed. And if the board can meet quickly enough virtually on Wednesday, Key may well be in a position to announce the installation of Stokes as Test skipper at his first media conference on Thursday.

The appointment of Stokes is the first major move of Key’s tenure as managing director of men’s cricket and it has been a relatively straightforward one. The pair spoke on the phone over the Easter weekend when Key was confirmed in his post, with the captaincy already part of the conversation.

But it was only after Key made the journey up to the North East to see Stokes face to face on Tuesday that things were confirmed. They discussed plans for the future of the Test side that is in desperate need of a shot in the arm after its most recent 1-0 series defeat in the Caribbean.

And Key believes Stokes is the best man to provide it as the new leader of the team following Root’s resignation.

Already a leader in the dressing room after 79 caps and countless match-winning performances, Stokes was Root's vice captain for much of his time in charge.

But the elevation to the job full time represents a full circle for Stokes who has had his ups and downs during his time as an England cricketer, not least surrounding events in Bristol in 2017 and when he took time out of the game last year to look after his mental well-being.

Despite those