Joe Root has praised Ben Stokes’s courage in dealing so frankly with his off‑pitch issues, predicting the England Test captain’s openness ‘will better the environment that we’re playing in’
Joe Root has praised Ben Stokes’s courage inin his new Amazon documentary, predicting the England Test captain’s openness “will better the environment we’re playing in”.
Root has seen the film, Phoenix from the Ashes, which is released on Friday. “There’s a lot in there even I as someone who’s generally quite close to him wasn’t aware of,” he said.“There’s obviously certain things he hasn’t always found easy, to tell everyone where he’s at, how he’s feeling. It’s just a great example that, regardless of what may be perceived on the outside, everyone has vulnerabilities and can get themselves into a very difficult place.
“When you see everything he’s dealt with and think that’s only in a four- or five-year period, it’s quite remarkable he is where he is now having been through all that. It’s very powerful what he’s done. “To share his journey, everything he’s had to go through, not just with us as a team but the rest of the world, I can’t see how it won’t better the environment we’re playing in.
“It shows great courage, great bravery. We were all there with him going through it, it’s not easy to see a close friend and teammate like that but look at him now. It’s great to have him leading this team and making Test cricket so enjoyable to play and to watch.”