Ex-England bowler presents left-field option to replace Ben Stokes as captain with ECB decision looming

Former fast bowler Steven Finn has suggested a surprise name to replace Ben Stokes as England Test captain - but concedes that a key issue would have to be overcome to make it happen.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are currently searching for Stokes' successor after the Durham all-rounder announced his retirement from all international cricket last month.

They are also shortlisting candidates to become the new Test coach after Brendon McCullum's departure was confirmed on Sunday. McCullum will remain in charge of the white-ball sides.

The favourite to succeed Stokes as Test captain is Harry Brook, who has already stated his willingness to take on the role if it is offered to him.

READ MORE: Harry Brook makes England captaincy decision after Ben Stokes retirement

But the spanner in the works, as far as Brook is concerned, is that he is already captain of both of England's white-ball sides.

The next 50-over World Cup takes place in 13 months' time, and the ECB may decide to keep Brook in charge of that team ahead of the tournament.

England have also risen to number one in the world in T20Is under Brook's stewardship after they thrashed India 4-0 last week.

Alternative players inside the England setup that could replace Stokes include Joe Root, who stepped in on a temporary basis for the recent second Test against New Zealand after Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out over a curfew-related incident.

But Root has previously had a mixed spell in charge of the Test team - though if former England coach Andy Flower returns for a second spell at the helm, his chances might be strengthened.

Jacob Bethell is seen as a long-term leadership candidate and captained England for a T20I series against Ireland last year. But, at 22, now could be too soon for him to take the full-time Test role.

But Finn, who took 125 wickets in 36 Tests for England, believes that an ideal captain could be Surrey wicket-keeper Ollie Pope, who has not played for England since being dropped during the winter's Ashes tour of Australia.

Pope had long served as England's Test vice-captain under McCullum, and captained the side when Stokes was unavailable.

READ MORE: Update given on Ben Stokes' return to cricket as possible date outlined

Ollie Pope was England Test vice-captain before being dropped (Image: Getty)

The 28-year-old has averaged 56.66 in County Championship cricket this season, scoring 510 runs in 12 innings.

However, Finn conceded that the required make-up of England's bowling attack could count against him.

"Do you know what? I'm not against [Pope]," Finn said on 'For The Love of Cricket' podcast. "I think he's acquitted himself well, and was selfless, when he did take the captaincy.

"He's somebody who I think is an excellent player but, for almost the entirety of his England career, has been batted out of position. I think he is a natural number five or six in Test match cricket. And I think that would give him a better chance of succeeding.

"The only problem with that is that you're then forcing your hand with the bowlers that you can pick. And you're then looking at a four-man attack, because you would have Jamie Smith at seven and then your four bowlers. We've not seen that since we played, 10 or 15 years ago. We've not had a four-man attack since Ben Stokes.

"That probably butchers Ollie Pope's chance of getting in the team."

Who else could replace Ben Stokes as England captain?

While it does look more than unlikely that England will delve into county cricket - the days of specialist captains do appear to be something of yesteryear - there are options that they could look at.

Somerset all-rounder Lewis Gregory is back bowling again this year after injury problems in 2025, and would crucially give England more flexibility when it comes to the make-up of the rest of their bowling attack.

Lewis Gregory hasn't played for England since 2021 (Image: Getty)

He has also made 12 appearances across white-ball formats for England, but the 34-year-old's last match was in 2021.

Nottinghamshire's Haseeb Hameed was discarded by England in 2022 but is back as one of the top openers in the country, and captained Notts to the County Championship last season.

And Ollie Robinson, who took seven wickets on his long-awaited return to the England line-up in the first Test against New Zealand, captains his county Sussex in four-day cricket - although there are renewed concerns over his fitness after he missed the final two Tests.