Rob Key, England men’s managing director, said that Ben Stokes is interested in becoming the team’s white-ball captain. Key mentioned that Stokes hasn’t been offered the captaincy yet, but he hasn’t turned it down either.
Rob Key Talks Ben Stokes’ Interest in White-Ball Captaincy
Ben Stokes is currently England’s Test captain and hasn’t played any white-ball cricket since the 2023 ODI World Cup. His recent years have been affected by various injuries, and he’s spent much of his time recovering.
Because of his injury-prone body, Stokes has focused on playing Test cricket for England. Along with Brendon McCullum, he has helped introduce a unique playing style called ‘Bazball’ to England’s Test team.
It is believed that Rob Key has already discussed the possibility of the white-ball captaincy with Ben Stokes. Key met Stokes during a training camp in Abu Dhabi, where Stokes was recovering from a left hamstring injury he suffered late last year.
When asked on BBC Radio 5 about Stokes’ reaction to being considered for the role, Key explained that he hadn’t officially offered him the captaincy yet, but he had informed Stokes about the idea, and received a positive response in return.
“I haven’t really spoken to him about it, to be honest. I (just) sort of said to him the other day, (after) when I did the round table (interview) with the written journalists, and said (to Stokes) ‘Oh, by the way, I have just said you are in consideration for the white-ball gig’,” Key said.
“And he sort of then puts the thumbs-up emoji and stuff like that, as if to say: ‘OK’ – not that I have offered him that, but they are the sort of conversations that we have,” the ECB managing director added.
Stokes’ Recovery and Future in 50-Over Cricket
Furthermore, Rob Key also mentioned that while Ben Stokes is one of the top contenders for the captaincy, it’s unlikely he will take on the role just yet. Key believes Stokes needs more time to fully recover and make a proper comeback, after which they can assess his future in 50-over cricket before making any decisions.
“I am going to think pretty hard, along with a few other people, over the next few weeks and try and work out what we think the best thing is,” the former England cricketer said.
“I do think it’s interesting with Stokes and whether 50-over cricket is for him, but then he is out in Abu Dhabi at the moment, getting himself back fit, and there is obviously a risk with doing that,” he added.
Jos Buttler stepped down as England’s white-ball captain after the team’s poor performance in the recent Champions Trophy, where they lost to Afghanistan and failed to reach the semi-finals.
Following this, Buttler decided to resign from the captaincy. Along with Ben Stokes, vice-captain Harry Brook is also being considered for the role, but being still young, it remains to be seen whether he can manage the responsibilities and workload that come with it.
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