Michael Vaughan believes it would be “selfish” to hand Ben Stokes England’s ODI captaincy, with reports suggesting he and Harry Brook could be offered a white-ball job split.
Brook recently served as deputy to Jos Buttler before the latter stood down and looks increasingly likely to take the reins of the T20 side.
The Yorkshireman is also a candidate for the 50-over job but it is almost impossible to play a leading role in all three England teams given the demands of the schedule.
Enter Stokes, who has proved a natural skipper in the Test arena and was publicly mooted as a cross-format option by Rob Key, the director of men’s cricket.
While there is an obvious temptation to extend his partnership with Brendon McCullum in the limited-overs arena, where England have struggled badly since their heyday under Eoin Morgan, he is currently recovering from his second hamstring tear in the space of six months.
He retired from ODI cricket in 2022 to manage his workload and prioritise the Test team, later agreeing to return for the 2023 World Cup.
Vaughan has no doubt the 33-year-old would answer the call again but thinks it would be an irresponsible move.
Speaking at the MCC’s Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s, he said: “In a way, I think it’s quite selfish to even consider him. He will say yes because he is Ben Stokes. He will do whatever England ask him to do. Just don’t ask him and let him be.
“He gives absolutely everything, not just when he’s playing for England but when he’s training. He is all or nothing. It’s an absolute nonsense to think that Ben Stokes is going to play white-ball cricket.”
England’s first game of the summer is a one-off Test against Zimbabwe from May 22-25, with their white-ball campaign beginning four days later against the West Indies.
