Ben Stokes could lead England's white-ball team, says Rob Key
What's the story
England men's cricket managing director Rob Key has hinted that Test skipper Ben Stokes could take over as white-ball captain.
This comes after Jos Buttler's resignation following a disappointing 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign.
The English side suffered a string of defeats and are looking at possible leadership changes. They lost to Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa.
Meanwhile, Stokes last played white-ball cricket in 2023.
Captaincy transition
Buttler's departure opens search for new leadership
Jos Buttler stepped down as England's limited-overs captain after a tough run of 10 defeats in 11 matches since January this year.
His vice-captain Harry Brook was initially seen as a strong candidate to step up as the next generation of leaders.
However, Key has now broadened his search for potential captains to include Stokes, who has shown natural leadership qualities in Test cricket.
Dual role
Stokes's leadership potential and fitness concerns
Stokes, who has been out of action from white-ball cricket due to injury for almost 18 months, is presently recovering from a serious hamstring issue.
Despite all this, Key is still open to the idea of pairing Stokes with Brendon McCullum, the head coach for all formats.
He said that "Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen," adding it would be foolish not to consider him for this role.
Leadership focus
Key's commitment to finding the right leader
Key stressed on finding the best leader to take England's white-ball team forward.
He said, "You're just trying to find who is the best leader to take this team forward? Who can manage that? Who is actually going to drive it? Leadership is everything."
The biggest worry will be to keep Stokes fit and ready to go considering his recovery process.
Career
A look at Stokes's white-ball stats
Stokes last played white-ball cricket during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He returned to the side for the crucial tournament, taking a U-turn from his ODI retirement (announced in 2022).
Although England had a poor run in WC 2023, Stokes slammed 304 runs at 50.66, which included a ton.
Stokes has 3,463 ODI runs from 114 matches under his belt. He also has 74 wickets to his name.
Stokes owns 585 runs and 26 wickets in 43 T20Is.