It’s three weeks since England crashed out of the Champions Trophy in the first round and we are no nearer to knowing who will replace Jos Buttler as white-ball captain following his resignation on the eve of his team’s final game of that tournament.
A number of names have been put forward, not least by Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, who has stated: “Nothing’s off the table.”
It means we could be looking at one man taking over the 50-over and T20 teams or a split captaincy, something that would make things more complicated but would ease the workloads of whoever takes over.
square CRICKET Sport AnalysisFrom champs to chumps - the six years that broke England's ODI team
Read More
Here, The i Paper looks at the leading contenders for the job and their respective chances of being appointed.
Duckett’s key role in the Test team counts against him. As do some of his public statements over the past year or so, most recently saying he “didn’t care” if England lost their ODI series in India 3-0.
He said this week about the white-ball job: “I think it’s something I could do.” Yet he’s almost certain not to be seriously considered.
Chance of landing job: 1/5
Sam Curran
Has captaincy experience in the Indian Premier League and with Surrey but has not played for his country since last year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
His left-arm bowling and competence with the bat make him a strong all-round contender to return to both white-ball formats. Yet the chances of the captaincy remain remote.
Chance of landing job: 1/5
Upping Ben Stokes’ workload with the white-ball captaincy would be stupid (Photo: Getty)
Key identified England’s Test captain as a potential candidate for the white-ball role a couple of weeks ago. “Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I’ve ever seen, so it would be stupid not to look at him,” he admitted. Yet appointing Stokes really would be stupid.
He’s not played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup nor a T20 since helping England win the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. He has enough on his plate with the Test team in a huge year for his side and his ever-more-regular injury absences mean upping his workload would be brainless beyond belief.
As Stuart Broad insisted last week: “Going for Stokes would be a move of desperation. I would be lost for words if England appointed him. How many overs has Stokes successfully bowled in the last three years while battling knee injuries?”
Chance of landing job: 2/5
Sam Billings
If presentation, leadership experience and a general all-round air of competence counted for anything then the Kent wicketkeeper-batter would be a shoo-in. The 33-year-old is an experienced white-ball captain, leading Oval Invincibles to The Hundred in each of the past two summers and winning the ILT20 in the UAE with Dubai Capitals back in February.
square CRICKET InterviewDarren Lehmann: It could get ugly for England in Australia
Read More
He also averages 47.88 in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup, albeit in just 13 matches. Yet he’s 33, hasn’t played for England since late 2022 and would be a left-field option, not least because it would be difficult to fit him into either the ODI or 50-over teams.
Speaking last week, Billings said he’d “jump” at the chance to become England’s white-ball captain and Key’s Kent links make it an outside possibility, perhaps just as ODI leader if there’s a split captaincy. He’s not short of confidence either.
“My track record over the last few years, every team I go into, it gets better,” he said last week. “I’m not saying that’s all down to me, but I like to be a part of that influence, and shape things. And that’s probably narrowed people’s focus, because international cricket is about winning games of cricket.”
Chance of landing job: 2/5
Like Liam Livingstone, another whose name has been mentioned, Salt’s poor recent one-day form means he would only be considered for the T20 job if the captaincies are split. It’s a job he did last summer during the T20 series against Australia when Buttler was injured.
Chance of landing (just the T20) job: 2/5
Harry Brook
Still the standout candidate and his chances of landing the job have gone up since he pulled out of this year’s IPL over workload concerns – something that seemed to signal he was mindful of getting the gig.
The big drawback – and something England will weigh up carefully – is the danger of the white-ball captaincy affecting his Test form in an Ashes year, no less. It’s why he could, if the captaincy is split, be handed just the T20 job. Yet if it is not split, Brook still remains the frontrunner for the post.
Chance of landing job: 4/5
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Six England captaincy contenders – ranked by how likely they are to get the job )
Also on site :
- Legendary Hard Rock Band Racks Up the Heavy Metal as Iconic Album Hits Sales of 20 Million
- 7UP Confirms Return of Limited-Edition Flavor That Once Flew Off Shelves
- 'Days of Our Lives' Alum Has Fans 'Crying' Over Photo During 'Last Father Daughter Dance'