England's captaincy options: Who could do the job after Joe Root?

The cupboard of replacements is hardly full. The Cricketer takes a look at the possible successors to Root as England Test skipper...

On Friday, April 15, Joe Root confirmed his resignation as England captain. The Cricketer takes a look at the possible successors...

Ben Stokes 

Allrounder, current Test vice-captain and general workhouse.

Pros: Stokes has already done the job (in Root's absence for paternity reasons in 2020, and in last year's ODIs against Pakistan), he is an established figure in the dressing room and perhaps the only other member of the team who is 100 per cent undroppable. He has the respect of the dressing room, vast knowledge about the international game, and a serious competitive streak.

Cons: He has really only just come back from a prolonged break from the game for mental health reasons, and the additional strain of the captaincy does not necessarily feel a sensible next step. Given his huge workload with bat and ball, and in the field - where he is one of the team's main assets - captaincy could prove overbearing. There is an added complexity to how the transition between Root and Stokes would work, with Stokes unlikely to look favourably on any sacking of his friend. 

Captaincy potential: 4/5

^{Ben Stokes is the natural successor to Joe Root}

Stuart Broad

England's second most decorated fast bowler

Pros: Broad has experience of the England captaincy, albeit in T20 cricket. He knows the landscape, speaks particularly well in public and has the sympathy of the media. 

Cons: This would be a short-term appointment - Broad is 35 and England have already suggested he is disposable by leaving him out of the Caribbean tour. England would have to happily put their tail between their legs, having dropped him the very series before making him captain.

Captaincy potential: 3/5

^{Stuart Broad was left out of the Caribbean tour}

Sam Billings

Kent wicketkeeper-bat, white-ball gun

Pros: Billings is not a stranger to the captain's role - he has been club captain at Kent for some time and led Oval Invincibles in last year's Hundred. He's also been skipper of England Lions. Billings would be an external appointment - he's only played one Test - and would bring with him an element of a fresh start. A good communicator.

Cons: Billings' first-class record, while good, is not necessarily strong enough to encourage selection on its own, and his captaincy, while good, is not exceptional enough to demand inclusion on a sort of Mike Brearley basis. Would his presence confuse the wicketkeeper question, too?

Captaincy potential: 2/5

^{Sam Billings has only played one Test}

Rory Burns

Currently opener-non-grata. Championship run machine

Pros: Burns is an established and decorated captain, having led Surrey to the County Championship. He knows the Test arena, having been in and out of the national side since the backend of 2018. He is probably England's best option at the top of the order of all those tried since the retirement of Alastair Cook. 

Cons: Opening the batting is a tough art in the current climate. Opening in England is even tougher. Opening in England while dealing with the captaincy could be overkill. Burns' technique - already very unusual - looked all over the place in Australia and he may need time to rediscover his best rhythm before being considered for a return, let alone as captain. 

Captaincy potential rating: 1/5

^{Rory Burns was dropped after a poor Ashes series}

Tom Abell

Somerset skipper, left-field option

Pros: Abell would represent a completely fresh start for English Test cricket, cutting all ties with any existing 'boys' club'. He has known captaincy for most of his career, having become Somerset skipper at 23 years old. 

Cons: Abell averages 32 with the bat and 29 with the ball in first-class cricket, and as such is a batting allrounder at a time when England have better batting allrounder options, especially at home. A command of respect across the board is always going to be hard to come by when you are parachuted into a team as captain.

Captaincy potential rating: 0.5/5

^{Tom Abell has captained Somerset for five years}

James Vince

Batting enigma

Pros: Has existing leadership experience, as captain of Hampshire. Has Test experience (13 caps). Could allow Joe Root to drop back down to No.4 and focus on his batting.

Cons: Has consistently failed to take his chance as a batsman in Test cricket. May not be the charismatic leader the ECB could do with from a PR and communications perspective. 

Captaincy potential rating: 0.5/5

^{James Vince is Hampshire skipper}

Eoin Morgan

White-ball kingpin

Pros: The school of thought is that Morgan knows how to lead a country to success, and could therefore translate that white-ball work into the Test arena.

Cons: The quite obvious flaw is that Morgan has not really given red-ball cricket serious consideration since before the Brexit vote. 

Captaincy potential rating: 0.01/5

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