When the two matches at the Oval were originally added to the schedule England’s senior players were told only Stuart Broad, as Twenty20 captain, would be required to play, but that was changed when Andy Flower decided to view the games as a chance to work on Twenty20 tactics.
Since then the team director has seen Broad and vice-captain Eoin Morgan sustain injuries and with England flying out to India early next month the selectors do not want to risk further problems.
It raises the strong possibility that the England captaincy could be handed on to a fifth different player in four weeks. Alastair Cook has indicated his desire to play Twenty20 cricket but England may rest him ahead of what will be a testing trip to India.
Cook offers continuity as captain of the 50-over team and has expanded his stroke-playing this summer, scoring 80 off 63 balls against India at the Rose Bowl in the second 50-over international in what was, in effect, reduced by the weather to a Twenty20 match.
James Taylor captained the Lions team this summer against Sri Lanka but making a player with only one international appearance captain of a full England side would be a bold step.
Craig Kieswetter will be one of the more experienced players selected today and Flower may decide to use the matches to test the potential leadership skills of one of the junior members of the team.
Tim Bresnan said he would like to take on the role against the West Indies. “It would be a massive honour to lead England out wherever it was, in whatever format of the game,” he said. “I wouldn’t turn it down. I’d love to do it.”
England yesterday promoted Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Morgan to central contracts with Paul Collingwood dropping off the list of players on retainers.
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