Following Ben Stokes’ retirement, Harry Brook says he would “love to accept” the England Test captaincy

Harry Brook and Ben Stokes (Image: X) England will begin a new chapter in Test cricket following the departure of long-serving captain Ben Stokes, who called time on his international career during Day 4 of the third Test against New Zealand. With the leadership role now vacant, England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook has emerged as the front-runner after Stokes.As England’s immediate focus shifts to the white-ball series against India, which includes five T20Is and three ODIs, starting with today’s first T20I, Brook discussed the possibility of becoming England’s next Test captain during the pre-match press conference.The 27-year-old admitted that leading England in the longest format would be the biggest honor of his career.“Look, it would be a great honor to do it, it would be a privilege to do it, to captain England in the highest format of our game, The Pinnacle, I think so. Playing Test cricket is the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life and it’s a dream and something I’ve always wanted to do because I could talk. Look, it’s not happy, but when I made up my mind,” I said. he said. Although widely seen as Ben Stokes’ stand-in, Brook has backed the ECB’s decision to hand the captaincy to Joe Root for the second Test against New Zealand following Stokes’ retirement, insisting it was the right choice.“I think the decision that was made was the right one. Making Rooty captain last week was definitely the right decision. He was always there for the ECB. He was a dedicated player for England cricket. In my opinion, he is the best batsman to ever play Test cricket. The ECB needed him that week too and he came on,” he added. “My job that week was to try and help him as much as possible. A lot of conversations: obviously we’re in the first and second slips so we’re still talking about how we can affect the game. But I definitely feel the ECB made the right decision,” Brook said.

India tour of England

MatchDateVenueTime (IST) 1st T20I. July 2026Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street10:00 PM2nd T20IJel 4, 2026Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester7:00 PM3rd T20I201Tr Bridge,T20I201July 7 Notting 4. PM T20I. July 2026County Ground, Bristol10:00 PM5. T20I. July 11, 2026 The Rose Bowl, Southampton 7:00 PM1. ODI July 14, 2026 Edgbaston, Birmingham25:2160 PM Gardens, Cardiff 5:30 PM 3rd ODI July 19, 2026 Lord’s Cricket Ground, London 3:30 PM