There really is only one option to replace Ben Stokes as England captain
The sense of schadenfreude emanating from Australia after England’s latest week of turmoil is so strong you can smell it. The only thing that would make the stench even more potent is if England decide Joe Root is the man to take over the Test captaincy from Ben Stokes.
There are two realistic choices to succeed Stokes following his shock international retirement in Nottingham during the final Test against New Zealand – Root or Harry Brook.
Neither is perfect. Yet if England opt to give Root another go in the job he held between 2017 and early 2022, they may as well hand next summer’s Ashes series to Australia right now.
That is not because Root is a poor captain. But he is not a great one either. Tactically he is okay, but not brilliant.
That was seen again a couple of weeks ago at The Oval after he took over on an interim basis when Stokes was suspended following his now infamous curfew-busting night out at Chelsea’s Rex Rooms.
In his first spell in the job that spanned 64 Tests, he won 27 – more than anyone else. His 26 defeats were also a record for an England captain. By the end of his time in charge, his team had just one win in 17.
Root admitted afterwards: “It had become a very unhealthy relationship, the captaincy and me. It had started to take a bad toll on my own personal health.”
Those words alone should be enough to warn the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) off asking him to have another spell in charge.
Stokes, who, like Root, is 35, probably knows asking his old friend to go back to the leadership well one last time would be a huge miscalculation.
Root often rescued England from oblivion with the bat during his time leading the team but his form has gone to another level since being relieved of that responsibility – his average of 46.44 as captain rising to 54.16 since going back into the ranks.
On top of this are those fears of burnout, something Stokes cited when giving his reasons for stepping down.
Root has spoken about the toll the first spell took. Leading the team through a pandemic was partly responsible for that.
But as we have seen with Stokes, the pressures of the job alone can break even the toughest of men.
It was telling that in his final press conference as captain, Stokes backed Brook, his deputy, “100 per cent” to take over from him.
He also spoke about the “hurt” of seeing Root struggle during The Oval Test against New Zealand, a match England lost by 253 runs.
“Joe Root is someone I’ve known since we were kids,” he said.
“He got put into a situation which he never thought would have to be bestowed upon him again after walking away from captaincy.
“I think that in itself shows not only is he one of the greats of the game on the field, it shows a lot about his character.
“But then also, as his friend, it was hard to see the reaction he got. That’s something that hurt me because I’m very close with Joe.
“Seeing the effect that it had on Joe from public opinion was hard to see and read from my point of view. That shouldn’t take away the courage that Joe showed in taking that on that week.
“It would have been very, very easy for him to have said, ‘Nah, I don’t need this.’ But yet again, he put the team first.”
It seems obvious Stokes knows his good friend and confidant probably doesn’t want the job, although the danger is that Root is so selfless he would probably take it against his own best interests anyway if, as seems increasingly likely, the ECB ask him to.
Even if it is only until the end of next summer’s Ashes, choosing Root would make Australia even firmer favourites to win their first Test series in England since 2001.
The ECB, nervous of the optics, may be reluctant to make Brook captain now on a full-time basis.
But they made their choice from the moment they decided not to strip the white-ball captaincy from him last October after he was punched by a doorman in Wellington on the eve of a one-day international against New Zealand.
Brook remains the Test vice-captain after all. The ECB have made their bed. Now they must lie in it.
It may mean difficult choices, not least finding a new white-ball captain given leading across all formats is impractical. Jacob Bethell, who deputised as captain for the T20 series in Ireland last September, would be the perfect candidate for the role.
As for options to succeed Stokes other than Brook or Root, there is one outside pick – Ollie Pope.
The old vice-captain who led the team on five occasions when Stokes was absent, was dropped during the Ashes but could potentially return in the middle order rather than at No 3, where he struggled during his last spell in Test cricket.
It is not likely. But almost anyone at this moment would be a better pick than Root. Indeed, going down that path would be reckless.