Stokes set to step into Joe Root's shoes as England Test captain

In the Maori language, the word rangatira signifies high rank. It was the word his late father Ged chose in reflecting his pride as Ben Stokes prepared to wear the England armband for the first time two summers ago.

Back then, with Joe Root on paternity leave, the rangatira in question was on loan. It will take on a permanence this week, however, if Stokes, as expected, is offered the position of Test captain during a meeting with Rob Key, England’s managing director.

When Stokes missed the 2017-18 Ashes tour, in the aftermath of the late-night street fracas in Bristol, it seemed inconceivable that he would ever find himself in this position. Yet so comprehensive has been the rehabilitation of his reputation since he was acquitted of affray that his upgrading from Root’s deputy has been met with no objections.

The 30-year-old is the most natural of leaders. While Root and Eoin Morgan have operated under the official titles of captain, make no mistake: Stokes is the dressing room’s heartbeat. The one who, according to former coach Trevor Bayliss, ‘everyone follows’. Morgan himself said recently that Stokes didn’t need the stripes to signify his status.

Evidence that his actions have positive influence on others was highlighted in these pages last week when Saqib Mahmood revealed it was Stokes’s attitude towards the Indian Premier League during a breakfast chat in the Caribbean last month that triggered his own decision to snub a contract offer as an injury replacement and focus instead on adding to his Test match caps.

His on-field performances cannot disguise Stokes’s ultimate commitment to the team cause but his one-of-the-lads persona should not detract from his personal ambition.

It has been suggested in some quarters