Star player and former South African player reportedly set to fill in England's Test captaincy and head coach position

Star all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to become England's new Test captain. After meeting with the ECB's new Managing Director, Rob Key, Stokes has opted to take up the captaincy from Joe Root, who stood down following the 1-0 loss against the West Indies.

Meanwhile, Stokes, who has been out of the game for a while due to mental health concerns, will return to the team to play the cricketing summer.

On Tuesday, Stokes met with Key for the first time since being named director of cricket for the men's squad. Stokes is anticipated to be named the new Test Captain soon after their meeting. The ECB will be finishing the paperwork before making it official.

Key will conduct his first press conference after being appointed as the team director on Tuesday. He is expected to make the captaincy announcement at the press conference, as reported by The Telegraph.

Key also wants to select a new head coach for the men's team, separating the responsibilities of the red-ball and white-ball forms. According to rumours, the leading prospects are former South African star Gary Kirsten and former Australian coach Simon Katich.

Stokes also voiced his wish for Stuart Broad and James Anderson to be added back to the Test squad. Broad and Anderson, who were dropped ahead of the three-match Test series against the West Indies, will return after Stokes takes over the captaincy. He's adamant about getting the duo back. The two are likely to be in the England squad for the remainder of the summer.

The all-rounder, set to be the captain, has very little experience in this department. He has been Joe Root's deputy since 2019 but has only got a few chances to lead the team.

He led England to a 3-0 victory against Pakistan during the ODI series against them last summer. This was when the first-choice side was forced out because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stokes guided the team for one Test against the West Indies in 2020 while Root was on paternity leave. Even though England lost the game, Stokes made an impression on everyone with his strategic thinking.