Former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes that if all-rounder Ben Stokes rejects the Test captaincy, England will be in serious difficulty.
After Joe Root quit as Test captain of England earlier this month, Stokes is largely expected to be the next Test captain of England’s men’s side ahead of the three-match series against New Zealand in June. However according to Chappell if Stokes rejects the Test captaincy, England will be in big trouble.
“There’s only one viable captaincy option in the best XI and that’s allrounder Ben Stokes. If he seriously isn’t interested in the job, then England are in big trouble. To question Stokes’ viability based purely on the inferior captaincy of previous star allrounders is indefensible. Stokes has the fire in his belly and the positive approach to be successful. However, that alone doesn’t guarantee success,”
Greg Chappell in ESPNCricinfo
Chappell went on to explain why he doesn’t think experienced pacer Stuart Broad or wicketkeeper Jos Buttler are viable candidates of Test captain of England.
“Stuart Broad is an intelligent, well-spoken player, but he should not be a captaincy consideration. He’s now too old and maintains a conservative streak, especially when it comes to field placings for his own bowling.”
“Jos Buttler is not a Test wicketkeeper; he has no obvious place in the first XI. It’s hard enough to win Tests against a good team when you are playing level at XI-a-side, never mind prevailing when you are asked to perform while short-handed – just ask Mike Brearley.”
Regardless of who becomes Test captain of England, Chappell believes that the next skipper should focus on improving the team as a whole, particularly the batters. But if Stokes rejects the test Captaincy then it is trouble in the England Camp.
“Whoever accepts the appointment, his initial job will be to make a poorly performing England side better. That is a captain’s job – to improve any team’s results.”
“This shouldn’t be hard, as England have some good, underperforming batters. It was also a trend under Root that England suffered great misfortune with their genuinely fast bowlers, especially Jofra Archer. Nonetheless batters Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence possess a lot of skill but need encouragement to display it regularly.”
If Stokes is named Test captain of England, Chappell believes he can inspire uncapped leg-spinner Matt Parkinson and pacer Jamie Overton to become regulars in the team.
“If Stokes does accept the job, he may be the beneficiary of Parkinson’s evolution if he provides a strong voice at the selection table. And while he’s at it, he could overcome the fast-bowling shortage by encouraging Jamie Overton in his endeavours. There’s no doubt Overton has suffered from multiple injuries, but his genuine pace, even at under-age level, has been poorly handled on the county circuit.”