The fast-bowling allrounder had to pull out of the Champions Trophy 2025 due to a hamstring injury
England’s current priority is to find an ODI captain after a disastrous Champions Trophy 2025 where they exited in the group stage after losing all of their three matches.
The defeat against South Africa in the last group game equalled the 2019 ODI World Cup winners’ worst-ever streak of seven straight losses in the 50-over format. Their wretched run of only 18 wins from 45 ODIs also cost Jos Buttler his captaincy.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Robert Key threw his weight behind Test skipper Ben Stokes as a potential candidate 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. I think nothing’s off the table really,” Key told reporters last week.
However, England’s fast bowling great Stuart Broad felt Stokes is a terrible choice for ODI captaincy due to his prolonged fitness issues which had reduced his role as an effective allrounder for multiple series.
“Going for Stokes would be a move of desperation. I would be lost for words if England appointed him,” Broad told DailyMail.
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Stokes was ruled out of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai due to a hamstring tear he suffered in late 2024.
“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,” Broad elaborated.
While praising Stokes’ prowess as a captain, Broad felt that it would be a bad decision by England if they handed him the reins for the ODIs.
“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 added.
England are set for a busy 2025 as they take on India in a five-Test series from June to August and also white-ball bilaterals against West Indies and South Africa. They will also travel to Australia for the Ashes set to begin on November 21.
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