Ben Stokes was hailed as the epitome of what England need to reverse their Test fortunes after being confirmed as the team’s new captain in Rob Key’s first public appearance as the director of men’s cricket.
Key, 10 days into the role and currently hunting for two new head coaches, called his decision to install Stokes as Joe Root’s successor “easy” and pledged that England, bottom of the World Test Championship after a winless winter, would get back to playing their strongest XI rather than overthinking selection.
This means that, subject to form and fitness, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will be back in the fold. During recent talks with Key about his promotion, Stokes insisted the decision to omit the veteran pair from the recent 1-0 defeat in the Caribbean be reversed before the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on 2 June.
Stokes is not due to speak until next Tuesday but described taking on the captaincy as a “privilege” in a statement; Key, injecting a much-needed dose of plain speaking into English cricket at his own unveiling, is convinced the all-rounder can thrive after canvassing a range of views from those who know him best.
“Ben epitomises everything our red-ball team needs,” said Key. “I just want him to go out and lead from the front. I always think that in leaders, one of the most important things – especially if you’re a great player, which, make no mistake, he is – is a lot of compassion and empathy. He has got that.
“He’s always talking about other people around him and what’s best for the side. He’s not someone with a massive ego who is thinking: ‘What’s best for Ben Stokes?’ He genuinely thinks that he’s the best person to lead England forward – and I agree.”
As well as expressing his pride, Stokes used his statement to thank Root for being a “massive part” of his development as a leader in the dressing room after two spells as the Yorkshireman’s vice-captain.
It may be that Root’s decision to stay on as captain after the Ashes debacle and plough through to the Caribbean goes down as a selfless act of friendship, knowing that while he himself was drained, his likely successor was not yet ready either. On Thursday, Root tweeted: “Always got each other’s backs. Congratulations mate, I’ll be right with you every step of the way.”
Either way, Stokes needed those three Tests against West Indies – which featured a thunderous century in Barbados – to get back into form after a rusty, undercooked comeback in Australia that followed his four-month break from all cricket last summer. The hiatus, in part to attend to his mental health, raises obvious concerns about the strains of captaincy but Key does not share these.
He said: “When you [interview someone for a job], if they’re keen they’re going to tell you everything you want to hear, so I talked to a lot of people that know him and that he trusts. Every single one of them said he’d be an excellent captain. And they were very honest about the best way to manage him. So it became an easy decision.”
Key put the break down to a wider issue which left his own predecessor, Ashley Giles, hamstrung during the previous two years: amid a packed schedule and the suffocating nature of the biosecure environments required to navigate the pandemic, England’s focus became fixture fulfilment, rather than how best to win.
To that end, Key described Root’s personal form with the bat while results went south – scoring 1,708 runs in 2021, some 802 more than the next best in the world – as “one of the great sporting achievements”. Key has spoken at length with the outgoing captain in the past week and said he was in awe of his hunger.
Anderson and Broad have similarly been contacted. Key, who will chair selection meetings until a permanent selector is hired, said: “I told them: ‘For my money, you guys are available for selection for that first Test match.’ And when I met Ben one of the first things he said was: ‘I want the best team out there and Jimmy and Broady are a part of that. If they’re the best bowlers, then they play.’ I said I agree.”
It remains to be seen who will serve as vice-captain to Stokes, with Key yet to decide on a role which could have huge significance given the all-rounder’s injury record. Even now, as the 30-year-old prepares to start his season for Durham against Worcestershire next week, he is returning from a knee problem.
Key shared his optimism that red-ball talent in England has not dried up but rather the mentality must change. “Are the batsmen hopeless with no ability and no talent? I don’t think that’s the case at all,” he said. “Have we been getting the best out of them? Absolutely not.”
Key did, however, concede there is much to do after personally witnessing Australia, the No 1 side in the world, secure their recent series 1-0 win in Pakistan. “We’re way off them at the moment. But do I think we’ve got the talent to be able to compete with them? Absolutely. Is it going to take a bit of time to get there? Probably.”
The response will be to split the coaching teams by way of format, with Key “optimistic” about having a Test head coach in place by the end of the month even if the likelihood of an overseas appointment means possible hurdles such as relocation and securing a visa in time. Gary Kirsten, Graham Ford and Simon Katich are the frontrunners ahead of next Friday’s deadline.
