Rob Key said it would be foolish to pass up Stokes for the ODI captaincy

The managing director of England, Rob Key, thinks it would be a mistake to pass up Ben Stokes as captain in order to bring the ODI team back to life. With no wins in the group round of the 2025 Champions Trophy, the 2019 World Cup champions are reeling from yet another subpar ICC tournament. Following Jos Buttler’s resignation as captain, Key and the management had to make a critical choice that would affect the team’s future.

Stokes, 33, has been a role model for England cricket, helping the side that won both white-ball World Cups at the same time. After initially retiring from ODIs, he returned for the 2023 World Cup, but he hasn’t played since. Late last year, a hamstring strain sustained during the Test series in New Zealand put an end to his ambitions of competing in the Champions Trophy.

“Among the greatest captains I’ve ever seen is Ben Stokes. Therefore, it would be foolish to ignore him.  “Really, I don’t think anything is off the table. You consider all of your options and ask yourself, “What is the best course of action?” What effects will that have on other things?

Rob Key told reporters Thursday (March 6) that it’s simply the ripple effect of what it entails.

As demonstrated in Test cricket, he is an incredibly skilled tactician, but he also leads men. He has the ability to bring out the best in others. He has the ability to throw a blanket around the players and genuinely say, “No, no, this is the way forward,” when the pressure is really on. Continue on. These are the traits that a leader must possess. As we all know, Ben is an exceptional leader and player. What that would mean to him is more important. What impact would that have on his workload?

“We don’t want to take further risks. However, I believe there’s always a point in England where you start to consider “what if it goes wrong?” And you must ask yourself, ‘what if it goes right?’ These are the choices I need to make.

Stokes and Brendon McCullum have established a productive working relationship as Test captains. Earlier this year, the New Zealander also assumed leadership of England’s white-ball teams. However, the appointment has not produced any results right away, as England has lost 10 of their 11 2024 limited-overs games.

Given that the 50-over format is currently more in line with Test cricket than T20s, Key proposed that getting Stokes and McCullum back together in ODIs could be advantageous. He referenced India’s strategy, in which Test players make up the foundation of the ODI squad but T20 experts dominate the shortest format.

“If you look at it, I think 50-over and Test cricket are definitely closer than Twenty20 cricket, which is currently the exception. Consequently, that creates distinct objects.

“We look at India and the way they play T20 cricket, and they’ve got all these young players coming through, but it’s their Test players that are making the difference in 50-over cricket.”

Key, however, said he is confident in Harry Brook’s ability to lead and thinks Stokes’ presence will help him grow into a future captain in all formats. The 26-year-old, who is considered by many to be England’s long-term leader, demonstrated his skills last year when he captained the country in a white-ball series against Australia without Buttler.

“In fact, I believe Harry Brook would be a fantastic captain. I was worried that Ben Stokes may do it and have too much, but look how that has changed. Stokes has the ability to bring out the best in Harry Brook, in my opinion. Sometimes the nicest thing that can happen to folks is to be able to go out there and feel like they have more responsibility. It isn’t always. These are the choices you must make.