Stuart Broad reasons why England should not make Ben Stokes ODI captain: ‘Would be lost for words’ | Cricket News
While England are in search of a new ODI captain, former seamer Stuart Broad has cautioned against taking a backward step in appointing Test skipper Ben Stokes as leader of the 50-over side.
After England’s harrowing league-stage Champions Trophy exit and Jos Buttler’s resignation from captaincy, ECB managing director Rob Key had suggested Stokes among the potential candidates for the ODI captaincy. “Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I’ve ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him. It’s just the knock-on effect of what that means,” Key told reporters last week. “I think nothing’s off the table really. You look at every single option and you think, right, what is the best thing to do? How is that going to impact on other things?
While Stokes had previously hinted at returning for the Champions Trophy, a hamstring tear during last year’s New Zealand tour doused the plans. Stokes has not featured in a 50-over match since the 2023 ODI World Cup, a tournament for which he had returned from retirement.
Story continues below this ad
As Stokes’ name is making the rounds for a potential ODI leadership role, his former teammate Broad cautioned against the move.
“Going for Stokes would be a move of desperation. I would be lost for words if England appointed him,” Broad told Daily Mail.
“Firstly, there is the schedule. He’s not going to the Indian Premier League to try to prioritise the Test match team and get his physicality right for the big events on the horizon. How many overs has Stokes bowled successfully in the last three years while battling his knee injuries? Not many.
“And you’re going to add another eight to 10 overs in a 50-over format onto his workload? The mathematics of that make no sense. As someone who played 121 one-day internationals I can honestly say I found the 50-over format more tiring than Test match cricket. Why? Because it’s such high intensity.Story continues below this ad
“You bowl 10 overs in three and a half hours, during which you are running from fielding positions, sprinting after balls all the time, non stop. Ben Stokes is the best captain we’ve got, but it doesn’t mean he’s the right person to do the 50-over job,” Broad remarked.
Stokes will have a busy year ahead of him on the Test front with two heavyweight five-match Test series loaded against India at home and the Ashes in Australia later this year. England will next play a three-match ODI series against West Indies at the end of May.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Expand
