<p><img style="float: left;" title="Ian Chappell" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2022/jul/ian-chappell-a_e.jpg" alt="Ian Chappell" width="150" height="50" />Much of the recent talk in cricket circles has centred around captaincy and retirement.</p>
<p>No one should be shocked by the success of skipper Ben Stokes, he&rsquo;s an all-rounder who understands bowling. On the field his main priority is taking wickets and despite Joe Root&rsquo;s dazzling success he&rsquo;s the most inspirational England player on the field.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The former cricketer and excellent leader, Pakistani Imran Khan, declared that a good captain understands bowling. Stokes is such a player and the team believing in his approach is a huge positive for the England side.</p>
<p>When Eoin Morgan announced his retirement from the England limited overs captaincy it re-affirmed former Australian skipper Richie Benaud&rsquo;s feelings on the decision. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll know,&rdquo; was his typically succinct and wise comment on the touchy subject of retirement.</p>
<p>The best summary came from former Australian all-rounder Keith Miller. In reply to a question Miller said; &ldquo;I wanted to retire while people were asking why did you, rather than them saying why don&rsquo;t you.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Morgan knew it</h2>
<p>Despite all the talk of consulting wives, grandmas and other assorted gurus, retirement should be a selfish decision; it is made to satisfy only one person.&nbsp;<br />When England coach Brendon McCullum discussed Morgan&rsquo;s pending retirement he had this uppermost in mind; &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll know. It will be a feeling that just comes and hits you. Just make sure you recognise it when it comes.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Morgan recognised the sign and made the correct decision.</p>
<p>Perhaps looking to emulate the success of captains Pat Cummins and Stokes, India have appointed fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as skipper for their one Test with England. This is a courageous appointment and speaks volumes for Bumrah&rsquo;s on-field nous.</p>
<p>Like Stokes, no one should be surprised by Cummins success. Cummins leads a varied attack that contains very good bowlers and he utilises them wisely. It also doesn&rsquo;t hurt that Nathan Lyon is a very experienced and long-time spinner.</p>
<p>Part of Cummins success as captain comes from recognising Australia&rsquo;s ability to handle an opposition assault and how he maintains his composure. Australia also have enough good batsmen to mount a challenge and their superiority helped them demolish a weak Sri Lankan side. Handling opposition assaults and not spreading fields senselessly is one sure way to gain an advantage in Test cricket.</p>
<p>This is an area where Stokes capitalised on New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. Fast bowler Trent Boult was the only New Zealander who maintained a semblance of control under assault, especially from the destructive Jonny Bairstow. The fact that Williamson had a very inexperienced spinner in Michael Bracewell didn&rsquo;t help.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If a captain has a competitive team who believes in his methods, a lot of good things happen. The players tend to expect and consequently produce a good outcome.&nbsp;</p>
<p>One of the main items a player has to deal with is the strain that develops when the opposition goes on the attack. England have performed brilliantly with the bat in this aspect, but Stokes&rsquo;s own aggressive batting shouldn&rsquo;t be underestimated. While Stokes will have to slightly temper that aggression it has rubbed off on the other players. As the best slip fielder that is also Stokes&rsquo;s best position.</p>
<p>England have also started gradually picking their best players for a position, with wicketkeeping being a priority. However, they have to ditch the non-sensical bouncer barrages, while also choosing a varied bowling attack rather than an all right-arm seam squad. They&rsquo;ll also come to understand that Jack Leach is not the spinner to withstand an onslaught from the better batsmen.</p>
<h2>Ben&rsquo;s guidance</h2>
<p>Nevertheless, England have improved immensely under Stokes&rsquo;s positive guidance. While Root remains a top-class player, his captaincy, although spiced with bad luck concerning the faster bowlers, was going downhill fast and the team had lost faith in his tactics.</p>
<p>Now, it remains to be seen how much Stokes&rsquo;s imagination and positivity can help England against a tested team. His leadership battle with Bumrah will be a fascinating sidelight to what poses as an entertaining game.</p><p>
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Looking to emulate the success of Cummins and Stokes, India’s selection of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as skipper against England speaks volumes for his on-field nous

A courageous appointment

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A courageous appointment

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