Who Will Replace Ben Stokes as England's Test Captain?

As the New Zealand Tour of England 2026 is underway, heartbreaking news came on Day 4 of the last match for England fans: Ben Stokes, England skipper, announced his retirement from international cricket after this match. Ben Stokes retirement news broke the internet as neither fans nor his teammates were expecting it.

Stokes, one of the best all-rounders in the world, has served England cricket for years and has finally hung up his boots, playing his last match against New Zealand. However, this decision to retire has left a spot open for the next England Test captain. Let's find out who could be a perfect pick to be the successor to Ben Stokes in leading England in Test cricket.

Who Could Be New England Test Captain After Ben Stokes?

Ben Stokes retirement came very suddenly for the team as well as for the fans. The management would be looking for options for the new England Test captain, as they would need a skipper for their Test series against Pakistan in August. Young Harry Brook could likely be picked as a Ben Stokes replacement to lead the England Test cricket team.

Currently, Harry Brook is a vice-captain of the Test team and also leads England in white-ball cricket, where management has shown trust in him, who could give a long run as an England Test captain. There is a very slight possibility that management will go back to Joe Root as England Test captain, considering his future in the Test format. It would be best for the team if Harry Brook is groomed as a captain.

Harry Brook Captaincy Record

Harry Brook has never led the Test team in his career but has been serving as a vice-captain for a very long time. He has been a handy leader in the white-ball format, where he has been leading the ODI and T20I teams since 2025. In ODIs, he has approximately a 63% winning percentage as skipper, having won 5 out of 8 matches.

On the other hand, in T20Is, he has been quite impressive, where he only lost 1 match out of 8 matches and also led his team to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He is expected to be a good skipper in the Test format as well, who will lead from the front and will be a perfect candidate to be the next England Test captain.