The international retirement of Ben Stokes has left Stephen Fleming and Joe Root with an impossible hole to fill.
For 13 years, Stokes was the man England turned to when they needed heroics with the bat or a breakthrough with the ball. His legacy as one of English cricket’s finest all-rounders is secured.
But who should replace him when the Fleming-Root era begins in earnest in South Africa this winter, and beyond? Should England look to a familiar face with Test experience, or put their faith in a rising star taking their first steps in red-ball cricket?
Here Daily Mail Sport examines the runners and riders.
Ben Stokes’ international retirement has left the new England leadership duo of Stephen Fleming and Joe Root with a major problem to solve
The heir apparent
England have already nominated Sam Curran as their No 1 Test all-rounder, which itself sums up the problem. He has been ignored by the selectors since 2021, while his 24 caps have produced underwhelming figures: batting and bowling averages of 24 and 35.
And however much his batting has improved in the last few years, it will still be asking a lot of him to balance the side: only four of his 38 Test innings have been above No 8, while his most recent half-century came nearly eight years ago.
Curran’s left-arm seamers do offer a variety that England’s attack has often lacked: their last significant left-arm quick, Ryan Sidebottom, played his final Test in January 2010. And there is no doubting his competitive instincts. But he feels like a white-ball player these days: since his last Test cap, he has played only 14 Championship matches for Surrey.
And yet Marcus North, England’s new national selector, recently felt able to say: ‘He’s someone that we really value highly and we see playing a role in the future for us as an all-rounder.’ If fit, and depending on conditions, Curran could be drafted in for the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston.
Sam Curran appears to be England’s No1 choice to replace Stokes – but the 28-year-old has not played Test cricket since 2021
But is there a stronger candidate?
The star all-rounder on the county circuit this summer has been Somerset’s Craig Overton, and it’s not even close. He has scored 548 runs at 45, including centuries against Essex, Sussex and Warwickshire, and taken 33 wickets at 19, including five for 29 to set up a crushing victory over reigning champions Nottinghamshire.
Then there was his ridiculous unbeaten 79 off 30 balls to pinch a T20 Blast quarter-final from under Yorkshire’s nose.
But there is a reason England haven’t picked him since he won the last of his eight Test caps in the final game of the previous Joe Root era, against West Indies in Grenada: they don’t think he’s quick enough.
Worse, England came to the view that he wasn’t even the best cricketer in his family, only for Craig’s twin, Jamie, to announce he was taking an ‘indefinite break’ from Test cricket after last year’s Oval showdown against India.
Craig is tall, burly and hits the ball a long way. These are the qualities normally associated with England’s tradition of rabble-rousing all-rounders, from Ian Botham via Andrew Flintoff through to Stokes. But the selectors remain unconvinced.
Craig Overton (right) has been the standout all-rounder in the County Championship this year, though England preferred his twin brother Jamie (left) against India in 2025
What about a spin-bowling option?
Two names stand out, and both could balance the team by going in at No 7, below Jamie Smith – a bonus not currently provided by Shoaib Bashir, who is a rabbit with a bat and no gazelle in the field.
Rehan Ahmed turns 22 on Thursday, but has already played five Tests, all on the subcontinent: 22 wickets at 31, including five on debut in Karachi at the age of 18, is a decent return. His batting brought him five centuries for Leicestershire last summer, but he needs to add a reliable leg-break to his almost-stock googly.
James Coles, 22, was named in the T20 squad for the recent series against India, though he didn’t get a game. He has averaged 40 with the bat this season for Sussex and taken 17 wickets at 31 with his left-arm spin, but his stock has dipped a touch after failing to live up to his £390,000 price tag in the Hundred: seven matches have brought him just 44 runs and four wickets for struggling London Spirit. England may take him to Bangladesh for their two-Test series in February.
Essex leg-spinner Matt Critchley has good numbers, but turns 30 this week, while Northamptonshire’s Calvin Harrison – arguably the best slip fielder in the country – hasn’t had his best summer with the ball.
Sussex off-spinner Jack Carson has an influential fan in Graeme Swann, while Yorkshire’s Dom Bess appears to have drifted from the selectors’ thoughts.
Rehan Ahmed turns 22 on Thursday, but has already played five Tests, all on the subcontinent: 22 wickets at 31, including five on debut in Karachi at the age of 18, is a decent return
Any other options in county cricket?
In Division One, the next-best after Overton is Yorkshire’s George Hill, who has an advocate in England white-ball captain Harry Brook, and has enjoyed a strong summer. But there are concerns over the 25-year-old’s lack of pace. The same goes for Warwickshire captain Ed Barnard.
The second tier offers several options, but – again – no one with the air speed to trouble the best Test batsmen on a regular basis. Durham’s Ben Raine has averaged 39 with the bat and 17 with the ball this season, but is 34. Ryan Higgins has often held Middlesex together, but operates around 75mph; the same goes for Worcestershire’s Matthew Waite.
Kent have high hopes for Ekansh Singh, who scored a century from No 7 for England Under 19s against their Indian counterparts at Chelmsford last summer, while Durham are equally excited about Kasey Aldridge.
Yorkshire’s George Hill has an advocate in Harry Brook, but England are concerned about his lack of pace
Is there really no one in the Botham-Flintoff-Stokes mould?
Well… eyebrows were raised by the performance of Caleb Falconer in the Under-19 World Cup final against India at Harare in February. England were chasing a near-impossible 412 after teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had blasted 175 off 80 balls, and collapsed to 177 for seven in reply.
Falconer chose the moment to hit out, thrashing 115 off just 67 deliveries and taking England to a respectable 311.
Not yet 20, the South African-born Falconer has already represented England Lions, top-scoring with 45 in a one-day game against his former compatriots at New Road in June. Last month, he hit a century as England Under 19s came close to chasing down 386 in a four-day game.
He needs to work on his bustling seamers but is a proper athlete in the field. Watch this space.
