Rob Key, who is the England’s men’s cricket managing director intimated that it would be wrong to exclude Ben Stokes from contention for the white-ball captaincy. As England enters a time of transition following the resignation of Jos Buttler, Stokes’ name has cropped up as being strongly in contention. After a disastrous Champions Trophy campaign, in which England did not win a single game, Buttler resigned as captain, accepting responsibility for the team’s poor performance. With England now seeking a new leader, Rob Key suggested that they are willing to share the ODI and T20I captaincy between various players.
“I believe that Test cricket and 50-over cricket are probably closer now, with T20 the outlier,” said Key, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Ben Stokes In The Captaincy Mix
Key indicated that Test and ODI cricket have become more similar in recent years, but T20Is are still a separate format. When questioned regarding Stokes as a possible candidate, he said that “nothing is off the table”, referring to the all-rounder as one of the greatest captains he has ever witnessed.
“I think nothing’s off the table,” Key said of the 33-year-old. “You look at every single option and you think, ‘what is the best thing to do?’
“Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I’ve ever seen, so it’d be stupid not to look at him. It’s just the knock-on effect of what that means.”
Ben Stokes In Contention
Stokes also did not play an ODI for England recently in the 2023 World Cup and is recovering from surgery, preparing for England’s Test summer. As Test captain, he led a key role in implementing England’s confronting “Bazball” style, which has revolutionized their red-ball cricket.
England Not In A Hurry To Choose New Captain
“You’re just looking for the best person, really, someone who you think can take this forward.”
“We’re not going to rush this decision as well. We’ll take a bit of time,” said Key.
“We’ve had a plan in place where we’ve looked at lots of different people, so we’ve seen Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook [in the role], there’s plenty of options,” said Key
Key pointed out that England would not rush in finding the right replacement for Buttler, that the process will be a thorough one. As Stokes’ leadership qualities are already well established, England might actually be contemplating taking a radical decision to give him the white-ball captaincy.
