Stokes is currently intensifying his recovery in Abu Dhabi with a training group of the Lions of England and is expected to be completely fit to start summer with Durham. Key was also in the EAU, and he sees no reason why the 33 -year -old cannot do what he has done with the test side and revitalizes a hate team that has lost his way.
“I think nothing is really out of the table,” Key said. “You look at each option and think, what is the best? How will that affect that in other things?
“Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I have seen. So it would be stupid not to look at it. It’s just the effect of what that means.
“It is an incredibly good tactic, which we have seen in the trial cricket, but he is a leader of the men. He is someone who gets the best of people. He is someone who, when the pressure is really lit, can throw a blanket around the players and say: ‘No, no, this is the way to follow.
“These are the qualities you need in leadership. Ben, as we know, an outstanding player, an outstanding leader. It is more, what would that mean for him? What would that mean for his workload?
“We don’t want to risk other things too. But there is always a way in England, I think, where you start looking, ‘What happens if it goes wrong?’ You also have to think: “What’s wrong with?”
There is no doubt that McCullum would be open to having Stokes on board. He said last week that he would be open to a different captain for each of the three international formats due to his contrasting strategies. Key, however, sees a synergy between the tests and the hate that would allow Stokes to succeed with the latter.
“When you start looking at it, I think that Crickt and 50 Test on Crick is probably closer than the T20, which is now atypical. So that does different things.
“We look at India and the way they play Crickt T20, and have all these young players, but it is their test players who are making the difference in the cricket of 50 out of 50.”
The problem, as Stokes has previously described itself, is the schedule. This year he sees England face India and Australia in the series of legacy definition tests in regard to the Captaincy of Stokes and the Bazball project. If Odi’s work is supposed, the series of three games against the Western Indies (May to June), South Africa, Ireland (both in September) and in New Zealand (before the ashes) will be shoes on their itinerary.
Brook will have a similar problem, although with which he already has to deal with multiformat mass. Key has no reservations about Brook assuming a leadership role given how he captured against Australia at the end of last summer in the absence of Buttler. And with Stokes by hand to guide him, as well as half of his limited captaincy tasks, Key does not see any reason why Yorkshire’s batter cannot increase another level.
“I think Harry Brook would be an outstanding captain.
“I think he (Stokes) could get the best of Harry Brook. Being able to leave and feel that the additional responsibility sometimes, for people, is the best thing that can happen for them. Sometimes not.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associated editor in Espncricinfo
