Ben Stokes has received support to become England's captain
Jos Buttler exited his role as the captain of England’s One-Day International (ODI) team after exiting the 2025 Champions Trophy. The search is on for his replacement within the England system, and some candidates have stood out.
Standout player Ben Stokes has received support from a majority of the English cricket community. That is important for the Three Lions as Stokes is a qualified candidate for the vacated role.
Stokes has the characteristics of a captain
Since Buttler was a successful captain in his own right, it can be tough to follow up after such a fantastic leader. However, many people see Stokes as the perfect replacement as he has all the leadership qualities.
Rob Key, England’s managing director for the cricket team, spoke about how he sees Stokes as the top choice for the role.
He said, ‘He’s an unbelievably good tactician, which we’ve seen in Test cricket, and he’s a leader of men. He’s someone who gets the best out of people. He’s someone that, when the pressure is really on, he’s able to throw a blanket around the players and actually say, “no, no, this is the way forward, keep going with it.” And I think they’re the things that you need in leadership’.
That kind of insight from the managing director shows Stokes is the favourite to win the role. Thankfully, Stokes does not shy away from the spotlight as he has always been a star player in the England system. More importantly, he has been a captain for the Test cricket team, so it is a natural transition.
Stokes is ready to answer the call
Due to his experience as the captain of the Test team, this should be a no-brainer for the England higher-ups. Of course, candidates are still present around the England cricket system, but Stokes is the heavy favourite to replace Buttler, who has retired from the ODI format.
Outside of Stokes, they still have good choices like ODI vice-captain Harry Brook or proven domestic cricket leader Sam Curran. It would be interesting to see how this ends up since England always wants top-tier leaders on the team.
Ben said, ‘If I get the call to come and play, then obviously it’s definitely going to be a yes. But I’m not going to be too disappointed if I don’t – it means that I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it’.
If he is ready for the call-up, this will be an easy decision from Key and head coach Brendon McCullum. The latter of which has established a good relationship with Stokes during his ODI coaching stint.
