Stuart Broad has warned England to steer clear of appointing Ben Stokes as one-day captain – branding it a ‘desperate’ move.
The resignation of Jos Buttler after England crashed out of the Champions Trophy last month and took their overall losing streak to a 19-year low of seven left Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, contemplating asking Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum to use their Test elixir to revive the country’s white-ball cricket.
But with a blockbuster home Test series against India on home soil starting in June, followed by the 2025-26 Ashes, Broad told Mail Sport: ‘Going for Stokes would be a move of desperation. I would be lost for words if England appointed him.
‘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. And you’re going to add another eight to 10 overs in a 50-over format onto his workload? The mathematics of that make no sense.
’As someone who played 121 one-day internationals I can honestly say I found the 50-over format more tiring than Test match cricket.
England picking Ben Stokes (left) as one-day captain would be a move of ‘desperation’, says Broad
Stokes has struggled with knee injuries in recent years and Broad wants him to be protected
Stokes is our best captain – so why risk him not being available for the Ashes this winter?
‘Why? Because it’s such high intensity. 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. Let’s face it, we’re not scheduling things to help the one-day team.
‘The hierarchy are not bothered by 50-over cricket. We have no structure to be able to train our players to play it, so why would you risk Ben Stokes’ body to captain something like that?’
Stokes, 33, recently embarked on his second rehabilitation from a hamstring tear within six months, vowing that he had plenty more blood, sweat and tears to give for the national team.
However, speaking in his capacity as a Fitzdares ambassador, Broad neither wants Stokes’ exertions used up on white-ball series against West Indies and South Africa at either end of the 2025 summer and in New Zealand at the start of next winter, nor a situation to develop where he dips in and out of them.
‘A captain can’t be there leading 50 per cent of the games, he can’t just captain the 50-over World Cup,’ Broad explained. ‘He needs to be around for the bilateral series, because if he isn’t, the team lacks consistent messaging and can’t develop a style of play.
‘But there is a problem, because I can’t pick you an outstanding candidate as an alternative. Harry Brook is a fantastic player, but your best players are not always your best captains.
‘I’ve heard Sam Curran’s name mentioned, but he’s not in any of the squads at the moment, and although he’s captained some domestic franchises, not done so to any great success. He’s not lifted a trophy. Who else is there?
England were humiliated in the Champions Trophy, losing all three of their group matches
South Africa blew away England’s batting lineup in the third match to confirm their fate
Broad played 121 one-day internationals for England, taking 178 wickets
‘What England need to decide is what the clearout looks like before they name someone who could lead the group forward.
‘Some players in that team are evidently not good enough. Anyone who’s watched cricket for a long period of time can see it. They don’t deliver on the world stage. They don’t deliver under pressure, they lob it down long-on’s throat.
‘Now English white-ball cricket is in a place where it is going to have to work hard to avoid getting dragged into a play-off to play at the next World Cup, it’s right to question why that’s happened and what the steps are going forward.
‘For me, those steps are to let Baz (McCullum) do it his way, alongside a new captain, and not compare this England team to Eoin Morgan’s – find a new style, because the game’s moved on from six years ago.’
In contrast to England’s one-day woes, Broad is enthusiastic about the chances of Stokes’ Test team emulating the achievement of the 2010-11 vintage of which he was a part and winning back the Ashes.
‘It’s the most exciting nine months I can remember for a long time,’ Broad, who sealed a 2-2 home draw against Australia in 2023 with the final wicket of his career, continued.
‘Genuinely, I feel like we could go to Australia with a chance. Yes, Australia are the best Test team in the world, unbelievable in their own conditions, but they’re ageing in their bowling group of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon, and there is inexperience in their batting, with Sam Konstas potentially at the top.
‘They rely heavily on Steve Smith and Travis Head for runs, Marnus Labuschagne is struggling, so they’re a team that’s maybe just going over the hill, and it’s a great opportunity for England, if the stars to align. Australia are favourites, but England have as big a chance as we’ve had since 2010.’
Broad is enthusiastic about the chances of Stokes’ Test team emulating the achievement of the 2010-11 vintage of which he was a part and winning back the Ashes
First, there is the midsummer visit of India, a team for all its recent success that has not won on British soil since 2007
First, there is the midsummer visit of India, a team for all its recent success that has not won on British soil since 2007.
‘Personally, I would like the idea of playing a tough five-match series against India before the Ashes, but we know it will be physically challenging.
‘What you don’t want to happen is get to September and suddenly Stokes’s knee’s blown, Jofra Archer’s back has gone, or his elbow, and Mark Wood is out because the physicality of the cricket has been so strong,’ Broad said.
‘Yes, you want the players be battle-hardened, but I’d expect the bowlers to be managed well. In an ideal world, Archer plays two Tests, Wood plays two Tests in Australia next winter and you pick the pitches that suit them the best.
‘So against India, you need to reintroduce Archer. it was obvious in the Champions Trophy that he would start really well with the new ball, but got hammered at the end – in overs six to 10. He needs to be able to bowl 20 for Test cricket.
Broad is backing Zak Crawley to come good and win Tests on his own against India and Australia
Jofra Archer must be reintroduced to the Test team this summer to get him ready for the Ashes
‘He’s also going to the IPL, where Rajasthan have paid a huge amount of money for him and they’re going to want to use him, so England have a question of how to get him ready.
‘But the nucleus of the Test match team is very positive – Ben Duckett, Brook, Joe Root, Stokes are all fine players, and with Jacob Bethell playing really nicely in New Zealand, where is Jamie Smith going to fit in? Who drops out? I don’t know.
‘Zak Crawley has obviously really struggled in the last year, but could he win us a game against India or Australia? Yes.
‘I think he’s a better player against better bowling. So, the one problem in the batting in a good one to have.’
Stuart Broad is an ambassador for Fitzdares, who have been taking bets since 1882. Their personalised telephone and text service sets them apart at the Cheltenham Festival. Visit fitzdares.com.
