The candidates to replace Ben Stokes as England Test captain

It feels glib to be talking about who England's next Test captain will be before the dust has settled on Stokes' seismic retirement. Stokes draws in so much oxygen simply by existing, let alone when he scripts these earth-shattering chapters of his career, of which we're led to believe this will be the last, that other threadlines wither in his wake. Nevertheless, the captain's armband must be passed on, and whoever agrees to wear it will have to breathe new life into a role that Stokes has made so all-encompassingly his own that it was impossible for him to fall back into the ranks.

Equally, that person will inherit a team in crisis. England are about to lose a three Test-match series at home for the first time in 14 years, and will have lost eight of their last 14 Test matches. The Bazball evolution has stagnated since it dragged England out of their last low-point in 2022, and whether its namesake will still be in post by time Pakistan tour later this summer is uncertain. As for the playing personel, when Stokes missed out at The Oval, five of England's XI boasted two Test caps between them.

Whoever leads England's Test side next will have to repeat the same miracle Stokes pulled off four years ago, turning the tide of a disparate playing group who've forgotten how to win. For a dressing room with three England captains in it besides Stokes, there is no choice who checks the majority of the boxes required to take on that monumental challenge. Here are the candidates.

The heir: Harry Brook

Vice-captain Brook is the front-runner but comes with a litany of problems. When Stokes was left out at The Oval over a disciplinary issue, Brook was passed over, in part because of his own disciplinary record. The ECB could not in good faith put Brook up to answer questions about England's latest off-field controversy given he set that particular thread rolling after his altercation with a nightclub bouncer the night before an ODI in New Zealand. Brook came close to losing his white-ball captaincy after that incident, it would be a mighty climb for him to be appointed Test captain eight months later.

Equally, giving Brook the Test captaincy would raise questions over whether he retains the white-ball armband. The brutal international schedule means Brook will be leading England in a T20I less than 48 hours after the conclusion of the New Zealand Test series, and 2027 contains both an Ashes series and an ODI World Cup. Leading in both would be a big ask for any captain. There's also the impact on Brook's batting to consider should he take on the captaincy. While Brook's batting has shown no signs of suffering since taking on the white-ball captaincy, he's currently in the middle of his first big Test slump. His last century came 17 innings ago, and his innings on the evening of day four was described by Michael Vaughan as "pathetic". The crux of the issue around a Brook-led new era remains, however, whether the ECB under its current leadership can appoint a captain they bypassed less than two weeks ago.

The grown-up: Joe Root

There would be no more fitting player to bail England out of yet another crisis than the one they've consistently fallen back on time and time again. When Root was asked to step in for England at The Oval Test, Rob Key said: "When English cricket's in a hole Joe Root's the man that we ask to dig us out of it, whether that's on the field or off the field."

Of course Root didn't hesitate. There is no more consummate professional, or player who embodies the selflessness of putting country first in England's dressing room. Nevertheless, Stokes' public apology to Root for putting him back in the position of captain was telling. The end of Root's captaincy was the low-point of his career, beaten down by the years of Covid restrictions and failings of his less talented teammates. He finished his captaincy haunted, followed by the 'one win in his last 17 Tests in charge' stat. That stat became one win in 18 at The Oval. While Root may be the grown-up choice, there's no getting away from his poor recent record as captain. Equally, whether he has the appetite to go back to that place again is uncertain.

The prodigy: Jacob Bethell

The vision for Bethell's career was made clear when the ECB appointed him captain for England's T20I tour of Ireland last year while their mainstays were rested before a big winter. Nevertheless, a 22-year-old with 10 Test caps under his belt, who wasn't in England's starting XI six months ago, would be an eccentric choice as captain. It wouldn't be an appointment completely without precedent, however. Graeme Smith had played eight Tests for South Africa before he was appointed captain at the age of 22, and went on to lead the Proteas for more than a decade. Sachin Tendulkar was a 23-year-old prodigy when he began an unsuccessful first stint as India's Test captain. Ian Botham was 24 and three years into his Test career when he first wore the armband.

While there's precedent, a Bethell tenure doesn't feel like a realistic possibility. From his reaction to Stokes' announcement in the dressing room, he might need to do some work on keeping a straight face in times of crisis.

The outside bet: Ben Duckett

Duckett gets onto this list largely due to being a senior play sure of his place in the side. Having been unsure enough of his position at the start of the summer to give up his IPL contract, his decision to play county cricket paid off when he reached a century at Trent Bridge. Given his own disciplinary record and previous tendency for being careless when giving media interviews, he's down the pecking order of candidates.

The wildcards

Looking beyond the dressing room in Nottingham, if Rob Key's pre-summer statements about fixing England's county disconnect still stand, what better way to substantiate them than by choosing from the pool of county captains? One, Ollie Robinson, has already been selected this summer, albeit having reignited conversations around his fitness by sucumbing to a knee injury having played just one Test. Sussex have been doing well in the County Championship in Robinson's first year of leadership, despite difficult off-field circumstances, arguably leaving him with the most relevant CV for the job.

There's also old faces who could be called upon in a time of crisis. James Anderson has stepped in to lead Lancashire in troubled times, and it was well-publicised he still felt he had a lot to offer England when he was pushed into retirement two years ago. He also has 38 wickets at 17.26 this season so far. In a similar vein, Jonny Bairstow was appointed Yorkshire captain this year. Who better to revive Bazball than it's first disciple?

Ollie Pope could also have an outside chance, having captained England in a Test less than a year ago. He's also averaging 56.66 for Surrey in the County Championship so far this year.

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