Rob Key’s decision to ring Ben Stokes about the ODI’s empty captain may look like a desperate measure at a desperate time.
And, for the side of a day of England, these are really desperate times. But as for the Bazball Revolution of the test team, there can simply be a method with madness.
Firstly, of course, the Stokes must be convinced to remedy a format he left in 2022, so as not to spot for the 2023 World Cup in India. Given his commitment to throw everything at test work and the growing fragility of his 33 -year -old body, this may not be simple.
But England must find a way to stop the bleeding of the white ball, and Key thinks that there is no better candidate to lead the recovery than Stokes.
His percentage of victory as a test captain – just at less than 60 years old – comes to the back of a victory of 17 under Joe Root, and is the highest among the players to lead England at least 10 times since Douglas Jardine in the 1930s.
The fact that Key, the director general of male cricket of the ECB, estimated that the need to trot this statistic at Lord’s was partly a reprimand to those who swallowed the story that the test team has trouble – when they won six and have lost only two of their 10 series under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
The decision to ring Ben Stokes for Captain Odi of England may seem desperate, but there is a method of madness
Stokes will be forced to return to a format he has stopped – but his relationship with the head coach Brendon McCullum could be beneficial
England must find a way to stop bleeding from the white ball, and Rob Key (left) thinks that Stokes is the man to make it happen
But it was also a reaffirmation of leadership references that the main ones consider as non -negotiable if the ODI side of England was to return to the summits which brought them the 2019 World Cup under Eoin Morgan.
Key believes that the decline of the white ball of England reflects, above all, a crisis of confidence – and that Stokes, with his clear messaging and his waterproof relationship with the head coach McCullum, is better placed than anyone to say them.
Stokes was with the Lions of England of Andrew Flintoff in Abu Dhabi, where he spoke to players of the importance of participating in times of crisis – an area that dropped England during their champion’s trophy defeats by Australia and Afghanistan.
In this regard, the ECB is a convinced talent is not the problem. But there was an absence of awareness of the game and a stomach for the battle, and Stokes has never been accused of missing either.
It would also meet with McCullum more naturally than the Jos Buttler more introverted, although here Key must assume responsibility: Buttler and Matthew Mott, the predecessor of McCullum as a white-ball trainer, lost his job too late.
While Mott should have gone after the World Cup debacle in 2023 in India, Buttler should have paid the price of defending the T20 Trophy in the Caribbean last summer.
Instead, the two were allowed to continue, in Sellant England with a predictable failure to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and by reducing the preparation time of the T20 World Cup of next year and the 50 on 2027 edition.
Key, meanwhile, is relaxed as for the body of Stokes to not resist an additional two years, believing that the best next option for him team captain in southern Africa in 2027 is for him to put an alignment confident in time for the tournament to his successor – probably Harry Brook.
Former Captain Jos Buttler (right) received a tournament too much before leaving the role
Harry Brook would probably be the successor of Stokes while directing the T20 side – he did not look at his depth as a leader before
And this is where Brook’s ascent at work T20 would make sense. He did not look at his depth by directing the 50 sides of England against Australia in September, while he has an average of 78 from five rounds, and is one of the only two specialized drummers – with Ben Duckett – which is guaranteed for the three formats.
If he finally replaces Stokes as a test captain – and, in this scenario, as Captain Odi too – then he would have made an apprenticeship.
Stokes could also teach Brook one or two things on public statements in Brook, with the key admitting that his players speak “waste most of the time” – and Brook is not immune to putting his foot in his mouth.
The trend, according to Key, stems from a mixture of insecurity and a very intentional desire to support teammates. Despite this, he won some friends from England.
That the clarity provided by Stokes will improve the speech is another matter. After all, his bazballers were not opposed to major statements.
But his return would mean another adult in the room. And at the moment, the configuration of the white ball of England may well do with more than these.
