Follow UsWith Jos Buttler quitting as England’s white-ball captain in the aftermath of the side’s group stage exit in the Champions Trophy, the Three Lions are yet to finalise who their next ODI and T20I skipper will be.
Telegraph cricket reports that Harry Brook looks the strong favorite to be named the new T20 captain, but Ben Stokes is firmly in contention to potentially become the next ODI captain.
Stokes retired from ODIs in 2022 but un-retired ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, he has since not played any 50-over cricket. But England are believed to be swaying towards ‘experience’ and a short-term fix for the 50-over format, making Stokes a prime contender for captaincy.
“It seems increasingly certain that England’s management will turn to Brook as their T20 captain ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India, but the ODI job is more open, with Brook and Test captain Stokes both still in contention. Both men are thought to be open to the role,” the report claims.
In a recent chat, ECB’s Managing Director Rob Key said that England would be ‘stupid’ to not consider Stokes for ODI captaincy.
"Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him. It's just the knock-on effect of what that means,” Key said.
Stokes’ fitness and his workload will be the biggest concerns for England. He is currently rehabbing from a hamstring injury and is unlikely to return to action before May. Stokes is only 33 but he’s been plagued by injuries since the pandemic; last year, he underwent surgery to repair his knee.
England don’t have a 50-over assignment till June, against West Indies, but this is a massive year for the Test side, with the team playing a total of 10 Tests against India (home) and Australia (away).