This morning's hundred now means he has a 75% of taking over
Odds have been slashed on Ben Stokes taking over as England captain, following his hundred against South Africa.
Stokes has been cut from 6/5 into 5/6 to take over as Test captain, with punters heavily backing the appointment.
He's been cut even further to captain England in any of the form of the game and is now 1/3.
He's 11/10 to captain the T20 side and 5/4 to be England's next ODI captain.
England may have pulled off a great victory in the 2nd Test at Cape Town, but serious questions are still looming over Joe Root’s head over his captaincy credentials.
His form with the bat, barring his double century in New Zealand, has been very poor for over a year now. An average in the 30s is simply not good enough, especially for a player who was once regarded as the best in the world.
The burden of captaincy has clearly taken its toll, much like it did on his predecessor Alistair Cook. It is not only his batting that isn’t at the level it should be either. Some of his captaincy calls, field placements and general tactics have been questionable at times.
Stepping down from the captaincy may allow Root to relax and get back to his best with the bat. There is no denying he is immensely talented and an on-song Joe Root is an asset to any team in the world.
However, there is not exactly a plethora of viable candidates lining up to replace him. But one man who may just be perfect for the role is Ben Stokes.
He had an unforgettable summer and is carrying that form into 2020. Does the captaincy beckon for the fiery Durham all-rounder?
He seems to thrive in the big moments, so the captaincy may even further his ability as a cricketer. He is never one to shy away from any responsibility and given he is already the vice-captain, the management clearly see him as captaincy material.
This may just be the next step for Stokes and seeing Joe Root going back to just a batsmen may benefit the team untold amounts.
An interesting 2020 lies ahead for the England side.
Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson: ""Joe Root's struggles as England Test captain, both with the bat and in the field, have cast doubts over his long term future in the role, with vice-skipper Stokes the obvious replacement to take over.
"In the short form, Eoin Morgan is very much the established skipper, and his outstanding success while leading the side means a change in captaincy is unlikely, particularly with the T20 World Cup rapidly approaching.
"There will be questions regarding the sheer workload on the all-rounder should be given the captaincy, but if anybody can do it, Ben Stokes can."
