England's Key 'just looking for the best person'

Workload? We don't want to risk other things as well. But there's always a way in England where you start thinking: 'What if it goes wrong?' You've also got to think: 'What if it goes right?' I'm just looking for the best person, really.

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Key insisted the decision would not be rushed and, while he talked up Brook's credentials, the temptation to ask more of Stokes is obvious: despite early success in the 2022 T20 World Cup - Buttler's captaincy highlight - the Test team's record of 22 wins and 12 losses since Stokes was appointed captain three years ago makes it by far the best performing of the three sides. Key stressed that Test and 50-over cricket are more closely aligned, with T20 now the "outlier".

By the same token, the 4-1 Test series defeat in India 12 months ago, the failed defence of the 50-over World Cup in India and this latest no-show in Pakistan all highlight how, regardless of format, England remain poor in Asia. Expecting fresh leadership to deliver fresh results in that part of the world would be ignoring deeper issues.