<p><img style="float: left;" title="Ian Chappell" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2022/apr/ian-chappell-a_e.jpg" alt="Ian Chappell" width="150" height="50" />The failed England skipper Joe Root endured the unfortunate nickname &ldquo;craptain&rdquo; at his home county Yorkshire. The England hierarchy should have taken more notice of that unedifying sobriquet.</p>
<p>Root&rsquo;s self-inflicted demise preceded the announcement that former Kent and England player Rob Key was taking over as managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). &nbsp;</p>
<p>The two events are linked as the first announcement at least ensured Key wouldn&rsquo;t be making a polarising decision as his initial task. However, Key&rsquo;s good fortune doesn&rsquo;t alter the point that the ECB is not good at moving quickly to reverse an untenable decision. This is not a strong ECB trait&mdash;never has been.</p>
<h2>England going backwards</h2>
<p>England were going backwards under Root and one of Key&rsquo;s first jobs will be to improve that ingrained and negative attitude.</p>
<p>The fact that we are discussing Root&rsquo;s eventual resignation and his possible successor, is proof of the ECB&rsquo;s sluggishness in rectifying a poor decision. It was obvious early in Root&rsquo;s reign that the captaincy and he weren&rsquo;t a match.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The choice of a player to be a reasonable England captain is very limited and this is also an indictment of the ECB. There should be a few ready replacements available in the first XI.<br />Before the announcement of Key&rsquo;s appointment there were a number of suggestions about who could take over if Root was deposed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Stuart Broad is an intelligent, well-spoken player, but he should not be a captaincy consideration. He&rsquo;s now too old and maintains a conservative streak, especially when it comes to field placings for his own bowling.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Jos Buttler is not a Test wicketkeeper; he has no obvious place in the first XI. It&rsquo;s hard enough to win Tests against a good team when you&rsquo;re playing level at eleven-a-side, never mind prevailing when you&rsquo;re asked to perform while short-handed; ask Mike Brearley.</p>
<p>There&rsquo;s only one viable captaincy option in the best XI and that&rsquo;s all-rounder Ben Stokes. If he seriously isn&rsquo;t interested in the job then England are in big trouble.&nbsp;</p>
<p>To question Stokes&rsquo;s viability based purely on the inferior captaincy of previous star all-rounders is indefensible. Stokes has the fire in his belly and the positive approach to be successful, however that alone doesn&rsquo;t guarantee success.</p>
<p>Whoever accepts the appointment, his initial job will be to make a poorly performing England side better. That is a captain&rsquo;s job&mdash;to improve any team&rsquo;s results.</p>
<h2>Under-performing batsmen</h2>
<p>This shouldn&rsquo;t be hard as England have some good, under-performing batsmen. It is also a trend under Root that England have suffered great mis-fortune with their genuinely fast bowlers, especially Jofra Archer.</p>
<p>Nonetheless Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence posses a lot of skill but need encouragement to display it regularly. The same applies to off-spinner Dom Bess and to have not given an opportunity to the capable leg-spinner Matt Parkinson is nonsensical.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If Stokes does accept the job he may be the beneficiary of Parkinson&rsquo;s evolution if he provides a strong voice at the selection table. And while he&rsquo;s at it he could overcome the fast bowling shortage by encouraging Jamie Overton in his endeavours. There&rsquo;s no doubt Jamie has suffered from multiple injuries but his genuine pace, even at under-age level, has been poorly handled on the county circuit.</p>
<p>English cricket have a distorted affection for correct technique. If Stokes is appointed and then can re-direct this trait into more positive encouragement of talented players, he will have done his country a huge favour. If chosen, Stokes shouldn&rsquo;t be awarded a vote at the selection table&mdash;it&rsquo;s not desirable&mdash;but if he presents a good argument that will be sufficient.</p>
<p>Key faces many demanding tasks ahead and he&rsquo;ll need to maintain his &ldquo;I have a mind of my own&rdquo; attitude in the face of ECB ineptitude. However, his first job&mdash;appointing a viable England captain and then supporting him fully&mdash;will be a really important task.</p><p>
    <script async="async" data-cfasync="false" src="//pl23789885.revenuecpmgate.com/7445444aea29efc3d061cbd866026c06/invoke.js"></script>
    <div id="container-7445444aea29efc3d061cbd866026c06"></div>
    </p>

If Ben isn’t seriously interested in the job then his team are in big trouble. To question his viability based purely on the inferior captaincy of previous star all-rounders is indefensible

Stokes is England’s only viable captaincy option

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Home / News / Opinion / Article / Stokes is England’s only viable captaincy option

Stokes is England’s only viable captaincy option

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast