If Joe Root’s ascendancy to the England Test captaincy has felt a locked-in path for some time, then the identity of the Yorkshireman’s deputy may provide Andrew Strauss, the director of cricket, with a touch more to mull over before the big reveal. The current expectation, and following a strong endorsement of his qualities from the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, is that Ben Stokes will be handed the vice-captaincy, but unlike the top job there are some credible alternatives.
A few of these are Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, all shrewd thinkers among the emerging generation, while Jos Buttler, whose views were canvassed by Strauss during the week, is another considered leadership material. If only he could nail down a place. The case for Stokes is undeniably strong.
England’s cricketers gravitate towards the 25-year-old on both sides of the boundary rope. His fielding – and in particular his pursuit of apparent lost causes – sets the standard in the field. His bowling, if still being fully crafted, leaves little effort unspent. And his batting, as shown during the subcontinental winter, is finding new levels of maturity and adaptability beyond his default aggression.
Need someone to dispense a collective kick up the backside and play bad cop to Root’s good? Stokes again has shown qualities here, such as during the one-day series in Bangladesh when, as No2 to Buttler, his impromptu team talk deep into the home side’s run chase in the opener in Dhaka provided the spark for a thrilling comeback win by the visitors.
But when asked on the Test leg of the India tour whether he harboured any aspirations for one of the top jobs in future, Stokes replied: “No. You have to be boring like Cooky if you want to be captain. I am just enjoying being where I am at the moment, which is having opinions valued by captains, coaches and other guys.”
While this was a touch tongue-in-cheek regarding the now departed Alastair Cook, it was clear that, for all the enjoyment of being regularly asked for input by Buttler, at this stage of his career Stokes still felt a little way off being ready for the top job. With this in mind, and given his last taste of captaincy came in 2008 for Durham Under-17s, the question could be asked as to whether, in this instance, a vice-captain need be named at all.
With Root, Strauss was able to use the position as a way of readying him for the main job knowing that Cook’s impeccable fitness record made his stepping up before time unlikely and, had injury freakishly struck, some prior, albeit fleeting, experience with Yorkshire would not have made it a complete leap into the unknown.
This time, with an abundance of sounding boards for the new captain in the dressing room that includes his predecessor, and Stokes a talismanic presence regardless of any stripes, there is a case for leaving the position open and thus allowing some flexibility should an absence be thrown up that is more considerable than a two-over comfort break.
While injury to Root before a dead-rubber Test or against a supposed weaker opposition in home conditions would provide Stokes or another of the younger thrusters with a chance to be blooded, the eve of this winter’s Ashes, for example, may be more problematic. Stuart Broad, who also met Strauss during the week to give his opinions, may see his claims for the top job hampered by a schedule not designed with fast bowlers in mind but, in such an instance outlined, he could be a credible short-term alternative.
Another, of course, is Cook himself. Fanciful, perhaps, but not unprecedented; during the 2001 Ashes a broken finger suffered by Nasser Hussain – and a lack of willingness among the rank and file – led Mike Atherton to return once more to the breach, some three years after the end of his full-time reign, to captain for two Tests.
Should Strauss hold off from designating a No2 when Root officially takes the reins, then options would be certainly available in the event of injury and with the current England side full of eager beavers, it would doubtless lead to plenty of hands shooting up too.
