Ben Stokes will be selected as captain of the England test on Thursday when Rob Key held his first press conference since becoming managing director of men’s cricket.
Kee offered the role of Stokes during face-to-face talks in the Northeast on Tuesday, and although the 30-year-old all-rounder has always downplayed any captaincy ambitions during his time as Joe Ruth’s deputy, he accepted the challenge.
The appointment of a test captain requires signing by the England and Wales Cricket Board, but as he changes – Martin Darlow was announced on Wednesday as the new interim chairman – a new term for Kee after taking over for the men’s national teams. days ago made this a formality.
Given the lack of reliable alternatives in the test country, Stokes has always been the clear favorite to take on after the exhausted Root, who called for time from his five-year term after Britain’s safe winter in Australia and the Caribbean.
Nevertheless, Kee still had to meet with Stokes to establish his hunger for this additional responsibility, both as a support pin on the test side with bat and ball and as he took a four-month break last year for his mental health.
Stokes is captain of the test team – a four-goal defeat to the West Indies in Southampton two years ago when Ruth was on paternity leave – but this remains his only leading first-class game. However, he has long been a leader in the locker room and won applause when he captained a rookie international team to a 3-0 victory over Pakistan last year after the outbreak of Covid-19 ruled out the team of first choice.
His first appearance as a permanent captain of England and the 80th game will come against his homeland New Zealand, when he started a series of three tests at Lord’s on June 2. However, it remains to be seen whether Stokes will have a head coach by his side, with the interview process for the vacancy starting only on May 9.
Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad played breaks at Ashes and were rejected for the West Indies tour, but are due to return this summer. Photo: Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
While Gary Kirsten, Graham Ford and Simon Katic are vying for the role, another position that needs to be filled is that of the deputy captain of the test. Often used for blood clotting by future leaders, it may initially require an experienced leader, given the likelihood Stokes, a full-thrower cricketer who cares about a knee problem, may miss matches along the way.
Root seems unlikely to intervene as he focuses his energy on cotton wool, and the only other tester who is sure of his place is Johnny Bearstow, centuries later in Sydney and Antigua this year. If the English hierarchy decides to invest in a younger player, Zack Crowley – instructed by Kee during his career – is a candidate.
Stuart Broad is also expected – to start his season with Nottinghamshire on Thursday – and Jimmy Anderson will be on the test team this summer, with the Stokes believed it would benefit the pair of veterans to return to the squad after were controversially dropped for the Caribbean tour.
This is one of many topics likely to be covered by Key at Lord’s on Thursday during his first public appearance as director of men’s cricket, along with the 42-year-old’s decision to split the roles of head coach in format and overall vision. for men’s play both internationally and domestically.
Some kind of plan would be welcome, given that there is a leadership vacuum at the very top of the ECB. On Wednesday, the governing body confirmed that it had been forced to restart the process of recruiting the permanent chairman of the ECB, who is vacant after Ian Watmore resigned last October.
Ron Khalifa, the board’s non-executive director for the past 18 months, was previously in charge of the search, but now looks likely to run for president himself, after a statement from the ECB confirmed that “no candidate has fully met the criteria ”.
Barry O’Brien, interim chairman for the past eight months, has also stepped down for health reasons, with his deputy, Darlow, taking over until the role is filled.
Meanwhile, English all-rounder Chris Wax has signed a two-year contract extension with Warwickshire at least until the end of the 2024 season.
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