Harry Brook is expected to be named England’s new T20 captain, with a decision set to be announced in the next week, Sky Sports News understands.
Jos Buttler stepped down as white-ball captain after a disappointing Champions Trophy tournament, which saw England knocked out in the group stages after losing all three of their matches.
It is understood that Brook will be handed the T20 captaincy, and he appears to be in a two-horse race with Ben Stokes for the ODI vacancy. The ECB is excepted to make an announcement this coming week.
Brook taking the reins in at least one of the white-ball formats is a move that had looked likely ever since he pulled out of an IPL deal with Delhi Capitals to prioritise international cricket.
The Yorkshireman’s sole England captaincy experience is the five-match ODI series at home to Australia last September, which the hosts lost 3-2, as he stepped in for the then-injured Buttler.
England managing director of cricket Rob Key revealed shortly after Buttler’s resignation that Stokes was a contender for the 50-over ODI role, despite a chequered injury record of late and a big year of Test cricket that features five home games against India – starting at Headingley on June 20 – and then the Ashes series in Australia.
Speaking at the time, Key said of Stokes, who is currently recovering from a second hamstring injury in five months: “Nothing’s off the table [in terms of the England captaincy]. You look at every option.
Speaking during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton discussed whether Stokes should captain England in ODI cricket
“Ben is one of the best captains I’ve ever seen, so it’d be stupid not to look at him. It’s just the knock-on effect. We don’t want to risk other things but you’ve also got to think, ‘what if it goes right?’
“He’s an unbelievably good tactician, a leader of men and someone who gets the best out of people.
“When the pressure is really on, he’s able to throw a blanket around the players and actually say, ‘no, this is the way forward. Keep going.'”
Former England captain Eoin Morgan says Stokes could do the white-ball job at major tournaments
Stokes has led England in 32 Test matches – 31 as permanent captain and once when standing in for predecessor Joe Root – winning 19, losing 12 and drawing one.
He was also in charge for three ODIs against Pakistan in 2021, winning each of them, after he was parachuted into a revised squad following the initial group being hit by a breakout of Covid-19.
England’s white-ball summer begins with the first of three ODIs against West Indies at Edgbaston on May 29, before a T20 series against the same opposition starts in Durham on June 6.
