Rob Key's decision to sound to Ben Stokes on the vacancy of Odi may sound like a desperate measure at a desperate time.
And, for the one -day side of England, these are really desperate times. But as with the Bazball Revolution of the test team, there may be a method for madness.
First, of course, Stokes must be persuaded to reimburse a format that resigned in 2022, only to discourage for the 2023 World Cup in India. Given his promise to launch everything in the trial work, and the growing fragility of his 33 -year -old body, that may not be easy.
But England has to find a way to stop the bleeding of the white ball, and Key believes that there is no better candidate to lead the recovery than Stokes.
His percentage of victories as a trial captain, just less than 60 years, comes to the back of a victory of 17 under Joe Root, and is the highest among the players that leads England at least 10 times from Douglas Jardine in the 1930s.
The fact that Key, the managing director of the ECB male cryket, felt that the need to jog this rolling in Lord's was partly a rebuke to those who have swallowed the narration that the test team is fighting, when they have won six and lost only two of their 10 series under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
The decision to sound to Ben Stokes for the Captaincy Odi of England may sound desperate, but there is a method for madness
Stokes will be forced to return to a format that has resigned, but his relationship with Chief coach Brendon McCullum could be beneficial
England has to find a way to stop the bleeding of the white ball, and Rob Key (left) believes that Stokes is the man for that to happen
But it was also a reformulation of the leadership credentials that the key considers not negotiable so that the Odi side of England returned to the heights that took the 2019 World Cup under Eoin Morgan.
Key believes that the decline of the white ball of England reflects, above all, a crisis of trust, and that Stokes, with his clear messages and his stagnant relationship with chief coach McCullum, is better placed than anyone to put it well.
Stokes has been with the Lions in England of Andrew Flintoff in Abu Dhabi, where he has spoken with the players about the importance of competing in the moments of Crunch, an area that let England decrease badly during his defeats of the Trophy of Champions of Australia and Afghanistan.
In that sense, the ECB is convinced that talent is not the problem. But there has been an absence of consciousness of the game and a stomach for battle, and Stokes has not been accused of fault either.
It would also fit McCullum more naturally than the most introverted Jos Buttler, although here the key must assume responsibility: both Buttler and Matthew Mott, McCullum's predecessor as a white ball coach, lost his work a tournament too late.
While Mott should have gone after the 2023 World Cup debacle in India, Buttler should have paid the price for the failed defense of the T20 trophy in the Caribbean last summer.
On the other hand, both were allowed to continue, sagging England with a predictable failure in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and reducing the preparation time for the World Cup T20 next year and the 5027th edition of 5027.
Meanwhile, Key is relaxed on the possibility that Stokes's body does not support the tension for another two years, believing that the next best option for him by capturing next to Africa in 2027 is that he delivers a safe alignment in time for the tournament of his successor, probably Harry Brook.
Former Captain Jos Buttler (right) received a tournament too much before leaving the paper
Harry Brook would probably be the successor of Stokes while leading the T20 team: he has not looked at his depth as leader before
And that is where Brook's rise to work T20 would make sense. He did not look out of his depth while driving at 50 years of England against Australia in September, when he averaged 78 of five entries, and is one of the only two specialized hitters, along with Ben Duckett, who is guaranteed a place for the three formats.
If it eventually replaces Stokes as a trial captain, and, in this scenario, also as Odi Captain, then he would have done learning.
Stokes could also teach Brook one or two things about public pronouncements, with Key admitting that his players speak 'garbage most of the time', and Brook is not immune to put his foot in his mouth.
The trend, believes Key, comes from a mixture of insecurity and a well -intentioned desire to support teammates. Even so, he has won a few friends to England.
If the clarity provided by Stokes will improve speech is another matter. After all, his Bazballers have not been reluctant to great statements.
But his return would mean another adult in the room. And at this time, the configuration of the white ball in England could do a lot with more of them.