England considering Ben Stokes for white ball captaincy
London (PTI): England's Test captain Ben Stokes is being considered as a potential replacement for Jos Buttler as the limited-overs skipper with ECB’s director of men’s cricket, Rob Key emphasising that it would be "stupid" not to explore the option, given his leadership qualities and the need to revive England’s struggling white-ball setup.
Stokes, 33, has not played ODIs since the 2023 World Cup, where he reversed his initial decision to retire from the format.
His Champions Trophy return was marred by a second hamstring tear in six months, sustained during the third Test against New Zealand.
"I think nothing's off the table really," Key was quoted saying in ESPNCricinfo. "You look at every single option and you think, right, what is the best thing to do? How is that going to impact on other things?
"Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him. It's just the knock-on effect of what that means.
"He's an unbelievably good tactician, which we've seen in Test cricket, but he's a leader of men. He's someone who gets the best out of people. He's someone that, when the pressure is really on, he's able to throw a blanket around the players and actually say, 'no, no, this is the way forward. Keep going with it'."
Stokes is currently in Abu Dhabi recovering with an England Lions training group and is expected to be fully fit for the summer with Durham.
Key, who was also in the UAE, believes Stokes has the ability to rejuvenate the ODI team, just as he did with the Test side.
"They're the qualities that you need in leadership. Ben's, as we know, an outstanding player, an outstanding leader. It's more about, what would that then mean to him? What would that then mean to his workload?
"We don't want to risk other things as well. But there's always a way in England, I think, where you start looking at, 'what if it goes wrong?' You've also got to think, 'what if it goes right?'. They're the decisions that I have to make."
Stokes’ rapport with Brendon McCullum, now overseeing England’s entire setup, may add weight to the idea.
Citing example of Team India model, Key believes Tests and ODIs share a strategic similarity that would work for Stokes.
"When you start looking at it, I believe that Test cricket and 50-over cricket are probably closer than T20s, which is the outlier now. So then that makes different things. We look at India and the way they play T20 cricket, and they've got all these young players coming through, but it's their Test players that are making the difference in 50-over cricket."
But it remains to be seen how injury-prone Stokes manages the demanding schedule.
England face India and Australia in crucial Test series this year, and would play ODI series against West Indies (May into June), South Africa, Ireland (both in September) and New Zealand (ahead of the Ashes).
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Meghalaya MP death: Assembly session for Feb 20 likely to be adjourned, says CM
Shillong (PTI): The Meghalaya assembly session for February 20, during which the state budget is scheduled to be presented, could be adjourned as a mark of respect to Shillong MP Ricky A J Syngkon, who died on Thursday evening, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said.
Syngkon reportedly collapsed while playing futsal on the outskits of the city, and doctors at a private hospital declared him dead around 8:45 pm.
"We have discussed with Deputy Chief Minister and in-charge of Parliamentary Affairs, Prestone Tynsong, and we will have a meeting tomorrow with the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) headed by the Speaker," Sangma told PTI.
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"I have communicated to the Deputy CM that it would be appropriate for the government not to go ahead with the proceedings of the House tomorrow. Even though tomorrow is the day we are supposed to present the budget, it will make absolute sense and a mark of respect to the departed soul if we were to postpone even the presentation of the budget," he said.
Sangma expressed shock over the sudden demise of Syngkon, recalling their recent meeting in Delhi where they discussed development plans for Meghalaya.
"I had met Syngkon about two weeks back in Delhi... that was the last meeting and conversation I had with him," the CM said.
Sangma recalled Syngkon's commitment and passion for the people of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, describing his demise as a "great loss for the state".
"Syngkon served the people with humility, vision and a sincere desire to uplift society. I express my deepest condolences to the family of late Ricky Syngkon, and I pray to the Almighty that he gives strength to the family members as well as his supporters and party leaders to bear the huge loss," the chief minister added.
