Ben Stokes Replacements: Players Whom England Can Appoint As Next Test Captain

Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Harry Brook [Source: AFP]

Ben Stokes’ future as England Test captain was jeopardised after he and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were referred to the Cricket Regulator for breaching team protocols during a late-night incident at a London nightclub.

The episode, which followed England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s, has triggered an ECB investigation and raised the very real prospect of England taking the field at The Oval on June 17 without their talismanic leader.

Notably, the breach is considered serious enough for Stokes to be contemplating his position. Coming barely six months after a disastrous Ashes tour in which off-field behaviour forced the management to impose a midnight curfew, this latest controversy has embarrassed the ECB and called into question the sustainability of Stokes’ captaincy.

If Stokes is stood down or decides to step aside, England will need a new Test captain, and the identity of that successor will shape the direction of the Bazball era.

3 players who can be England's Test captain if ECB sacks Ben Stokes

1. Harry Brook

If the decision is made on official hierarchy and long-term vision, Harry Brook is the obvious choice. 

Brook is England’s designated Test vice-captain and has already been handed the full-time white-ball captaincy across both ODIs and T20Is, which is a clear signal that managing director Rob Key and coach Brendon McCullum see him as the leader of the future.

Moreover, Brook’s game is the most apt example of Bazball. He burst into Test cricket with an aggressive, fearless mindset that perfectly mirrors the philosophy endorsed by Stokes and McCullum.

Will Harry Brook Justify England Test Captaincy?

Yet Test captaincy would be an enormous leap. Brook’s leadership experience at the first-class level is minimal, and he has never captained a Test match. His off-field judgement has also been questioned.

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Elevating him to Test captain now would mean asking a young man still maturing into his public role to carry the heaviest leadership burden in English cricket. Still, making Brook Test captain would unify the men’s captaincy across formats and would lock in the Bazball identity for years to come.

2. Ollie Pope

If the selection panel wants a steady hand rather than a new face, Ollie Pope offers the most compelling case. Though Brook holds the official vice-captaincy, Pope has been England’s go-to stand-in whenever Stokes has been unavailable, effectively operating as the team’s on-field deputy. 

He led England through the home series against Sri Lanka and has also captained the side in Asia, accumulating five Tests as skipper.

Will Ollie Pope Justify England Test Captaincy?

The numbers from those five matches underline both his promise and the challenge. Pope has scored 240 runs at 26.66 with one century, a fine 154 against Sri Lanka at The Oval, but also a duck in Pakistan and a top score of 27 in his most recent captaincy outing against India.

His overall captaincy record reads three wins and two defeats, demonstrating that he can marshal a Test side competently without the wheels falling off.

3. Joe Root

No one in the dressing room can match Joe Root’s leadership pedigree. He has captained England in 64 Tests and holds the national record for most Test wins as captain with 27 wins.

Since stepping down in 2022, Root has flourished under the Bazball regime, integrating a more attacking mindset into his game while maintaining his superhuman consistency.

A Root restoration would serve as the ultimate transitional cushion. It would protect younger players like Brook and Pope, allowing them to develop naturally while Root absorbs the pressure.

Will Joe Root Justify England Test Captaincy?

He has already proven he can bat through the captaincy burden; his historic 1,708-run calendar year came in 2021 while leading the side.

Nevertheless, the chances of Root returning are slim. He walked away from the captaincy after a draining tenure that included a 4-0 Ashes defeat and a 1-0 series loss in the Caribbean.

At 35, he is in the fag end of his career, and there is no guarantee he would want to shoulder that responsibility again when he is batting as freely as he ever has. The ECB may also prefer to look forward rather than backwards, however decorated the candidate.

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