Ben Stokes England’s only one viable captaincy option: Ian Chappell

With the resignation of Joe Root as Test captain and the appointment of Rob Key as England’s new director of cricket, a new era is set to dawn upon the national side, the first of which will be the appointment of a new captain and also a new head coach.

Former Australia batter Ian Chappell reckons all-rounder Ben Stokes is the only viable option to take over the role.

“Stuart Broad is an intelligent, well-spoken player, but he should not be a captaincy consideration. He's now too old and maintains a conservative streak, especially when it comes to field placings for his own bowling,” Chappel wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

“Jos Buttler is not a Test wicketkeeper; he has no obvious place in the first XI. It's hard enough to win Tests against a good team when you are playing level at XI-a-side, never mind prevailing when you are asked to perform while short-handed - just ask Mike Brearley.

“There's only one viable captaincy option in the best XI and that's all-rounder Ben Stokes. If he seriously isn't interested in the job, then England are in big trouble.

“To question Stokes' viability based purely on the inferior captaincy of previous star all-rounders is indefensible. Stokes has the fire in his belly and the positive approach to be successful. However, that alone doesn't guarantee success.

“Whoever accepts the appointment, his initial job will be to make a poorly performing England side better. That is a captain's job - to improve any team's results.”

With Key at the helm, England could once again consider Gary Kiersten for the role of the head coach – a role that is to be split into two with Kiersten likely to take over the Test side.

Kiersten was in the fray for the England job in 2019, before the ECB decided to go with Chris Silverwood, who too stepped down following the Ashes debacle.

During his time as a pundit for Sky, Key in February said, “He probably would [be a good option as head coach]. He was obviously a decent player and he’s got a lot of international cricket experience, so he’s used to that scrutiny and he coached India to No 1 in the world with [captain] MS Dhoni.”

Chappell also stressed on the fact of the importance of backing the new captain when picked.

“Key faces many demanding tasks ahead and he'll need to maintain his "I have a mind of my own" attitude in the face of ECB ineptitude. However his first job - appointing a viable England captain and then supporting him fully - will be a really important task.”

England’s next assignment will be the home Test series against New Zealand, starting June 2, followed by an ODI series against Netherlands and then in July, they welcome India for a Test and six limited-overs fixtures.