Would've Picked Jos Buttler As Stand-in Captain Ahead Of Ben Stokes, Says Kevin Pietersen

As Ben Stokes gears up to lead England in the first Test against West Indies, former England captain Kevin Pietersen believes Jos Buttler would have been the better choice to cover for regular Test skipper Joe Root. Root will miss the first Test in order to be with his wife as the couple are expecting their second child.

England and West Indies will lock horns in the first of the three Tests in Southampton from Wednesday (July 8). The next two Tests will be played in Manchester. All the three games will be played in bio-secure venues. The series will mark the return of international cricket after action around the world came to a halt in March in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

“I wouldn’t have picked Ben Stokes to stand in for Joe Root as captain, I would have picked Jos Buttler,” Kevin Pietersen was quoted as saying by Betway.com.

“Stokes is the type of player that I was discussing earlier — he loves the crowd, and he’s a proven performer in testing conditions with a lot of energy around him.

“These will be testing conditions, but there will be no energy at all. That’s something that the players will have to generate for themselves.

“He’s also the best player on the team. Is the best player always the best choice as captain? I’m not so sure,” he added.

Kevin Pietersen also said it will become difficult for players to stay in bio-secure bubble for long. He said that players need to do something else to relieve the pressure and stress of the game and will thus face testing times while staying in their hotel rooms.

“I’m actually very glad I’m not a player this summer — I don’t think I would have been able to deal with it,” Kevin Pietersen said.

“Players usually have their families, their agents, and their sponsors. They can get out and play golf. There is always something going on.

“It’s so important to be able to get away from the game because of the stresses and strains that it places on your mind and body.

“The novelty of this situation might exist for the first Test match or two, but being stuck with each other in a hotel is going to be quite testing by the end of the month. I wouldn’t have been able to get my head around it,” he added.

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