NEW DELHI: England cricket‘s managing director Rob Key has kept the possibility open for Test captain Ben Stokes to lead the white-ball team.
The development comes after Jos Buttler stepped down from his position following England’s poor performance at the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan and UAE, where they lost all three group matches.
England’s white-ball performance has declined significantly, with the team losing 10 out of their 11 matches this year.
Harry Brook, who was considered next in line for captaincy, might face challenges due to his involvement across all three cricket formats.
Key is evaluating various options, including expanding Stokes’s leadership role.
Stokes, at 33, has shown exceptional leadership skills as Test captain since taking over from Joe Root, though he has primarily focused on Test cricket for the past 16 months due to age and injuries.
If appointed as limited-overs captain, Stokes would continue working with Brendon McCullum, who now oversees both Test and white-ball teams.
“I think nothing’s off the table really,” Key told reporters at Lord’s. “Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I’ve ever seen. It would be stupid not to look at him. It’s just the knock-on effect of what that means.”
Stokes hasn’t participated in T20Is since the World Cup final in November 2022 and hasn’t played in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup in India.
England’s current position in rankings shows them at seventh place in ODIs and third in T20s, despite winning the 2019 World Cup under Eoin Morgan and the 2022 T20 World Cup under Buttler.
“We were very poor in the Champions Trophy,” said Key. “But the truth is, we haven’t been particularly good in white-ball cricket, probably since the last era when (retired captain) Eoin Morgan did it.”
Key defended McCullum’s coaching approach, which has faced criticism for being overly aggressive.
“It’s not true that the only thing he (McCullum) says is go harder, go harder, go harder,” said Key. “He speaks all the time about soaking up pressure as well.
Key also addressed concerns about players’ commitment to the game.
“Sometimes they’re reckless, sometimes they make the wrong decision at the wrong time,” he said. “But that’s the game, right?
“But it’s not a case that all we think is you go out there and play one way…You’ve got to be able to put bowlers under pressure, and good bowlers under pressure, and you’ve got to be able to soak it up and you’ve got to be able to make that decision at the right time.”
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