'This team needs him as a leader' - Michael Vaughan wants Ben Stokes to return as England captain

Former captain Michael Vaughan claimed England desperately need Ben Stokes back as their leader in Test cricket, thanks to his tactical prowess. This comes after the all-rounder was not picked for his side's second Test match against New Zealand following a nightclub incident involving him and teammate Gus Atkinson last week.

Stokes and Atkinson broke a team curfew after the Three Lions' victory over the Black Caps in the first Test match at Lord's. The duo were then involved in a brawl with the rugby player, resulting in them getting suspended for the Oval Test.

Despite the off-field controversies, Vaughan fully backs the left-handed batter and wants him back in the team as captain. The former player-turned-expert also claimed that it would be difficult for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to turn up and say Stokes is no longer the captain of the Test side.

"This team needs him as a leader, as a captain. His tactical awareness of the game has been right up there with the best captains I have seen. I wouldn't want to be that person that says to the English cricket fan 'Ben Stokes is not our captain any more'," Vaughan said on BBC Test Match Special.

However, should the ECB decide to sack Stokes for his nightclub antics, Vaughan believes that the only player under whom the 35-year-old would be comfortable playing is Joe Root. The right-handed batter has been given the captaincy on an interim basis in the absence of England's regular Test skipper for the second Test against New Zealand.

Vaughan suggests that the leadership qualities Stokes possesses would make it extremely difficult for him to remain just a player in the team. However, with Root's stature in the side, he would not mind playing under the former England captain.

"If the ECB make a call Ben can't come back in a leadership role, the only captain he could play under is Joe," said Vaughan. I don't see Ben as the kind of character that would just walk into the dressing room as a player. I see him purely as the leader. I would have found it very difficult to go into a team after captaining for a while. I think Ben would struggle but, if there was one respected player in the dressing room he would do it for, it is Joe," Vaughan added.

Joe Root admits envy of Stokes ahead of captaincy return

It is worth mentioning that Root captained England 65 times in the longest format of the game before being replaced by Stokes in the summer of 2022 as the Three Lions kick-started their new regime under coach Brendon McCullum.