If you are searching for next England cricket captain odds, here is the honest answer first: right now there is no vacancy. Ben Stokes captains the Test side and is leading England in the Ashes in Australia as we write this in November 2026, and Harry Brook captains the white-ball sides after taking over from Jos Buttler in 2025. No bookmaker is pricing an imminent change, because there is no change to price. The odds people remember — and the ones that will matter when the job next opens — come from the last time the market was live, and that story tells you plenty about how these markets work.
Who Holds the Job Right Now
Tests: Ben Stokes
Stokes took the Test captaincy in 2022 and rebuilt the side around aggressive, front-foot cricket. He is in charge for the Ashes series in Australia, which began in Perth, and the job is his for as long as he wants it and his body holds up. He has said more than once that he does not see the captaincy as a burden, and the team is built in his image.
White ball: Harry Brook
Brook became England’s white-ball captain in 2025 after Buttler stepped down following the Champions Trophy exit. Buttler’s side had just lost to Afghanistan in Lahore in February 2025 and were out of the tournament after two games, and the change came quickly. Brook was the natural pick — he had been vice-captain, he was already one of the first names on the team sheet, and he was the bookmakers’ heavy favourite before the announcement.
How the Last Market Played Out
When the white-ball job opened in February 2025, the betting told the story before the announcement did. Wisden reported that Brook was the bookies’ heavy favourite, backed at 1/2 with Betfair to take over the leadership. The rest of the market looked like this:
| Candidate | Odds with Betfair (Feb 2025) | Why the market rated them |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Brook | 1/2 | Vice-captain, first-choice batter, obvious successor |
| Liam Livingstone | 5/1 | Had led the side in Buttler’s absence in the West Indies |
| Ben Duckett | 9/1 | Senior opener, respected in the dressing room |
| Phil Salt | 9/1 | White-ball regular, leadership potential |
Brook at 1/2 meant the market gave him roughly a two-in-three chance, and it was right. That is the pattern with captaincy markets: when the successor is obvious, the favourite is very short, and the value — if there is any — sits with the second or third names. When the successor is not obvious, the market spreads out and the prices get interesting.
The full story is on Wisden’s report from February 2025.
The Names That Would Head a Future Market
No market is live today, but if a vacancy opened — in either format — these are the names the bookmakers would price first.
Harry Brook — the double-job candidate
If Stokes ever stepped down from the Tests, Brook is the first name on every list. He already captains the ODI and T20 sides, he is a fixture in the Test team, and he leads by example with the bat. The question is whether England would want one man doing both jobs, or whether they would rather split the load. History says they have done both, and neither is obviously right.
Joe Root — the been-there option
Root captained England in Tests before Stokes and remains the side’s best batter. He would be a short price in any future market because the selectors know exactly what they would get. The case against him is that he has done the job, it wore him down, and England moved on for a reason. Bookmakers would still price him near the front, because experience counts for a lot in these markets.
Jacob Bethell — the future name
Bethell captained England in a T20I series against Ireland in September 2025 at just 21, making him England’s youngest men’s captain. That is the kind of fact bookmakers love: a young player the selectors clearly rate, given the armband early. He would be a longer price in any near-term market because he is still establishing himself in the side, but in a “next captain in five years” market he would be right at the front.
How to Read Captaincy Odds
Captaincy markets work differently from match odds, and they catch people out.
- Short odds mean expected, not certain. Brook at 1/2 in 2025 was the market saying “this is the obvious pick”. It was right, but 1/2 shots lose one time in three.
- Markets move on news, not form. A captaincy market shifts when a player gets injured, a series is lost badly, or a selector speaks out of turn. A century does not move it; a press conference does.
- The favourite is usually the vice-captain. Bookmakers, like selectors, look at who is already in the leadership group. If you want to find value, look at who the vice-captain is before the market opens.
- Long shots are usually long for a reason. A player at 20/1 in a captaincy market is normally 20/1 because they are not in the selectors’ thinking. The rare exception is a young player the selectors rate highly but the public has not noticed yet — Bethell in 2025 was that kind of name.
Why Bookmakers Even Price This Market
Leadership markets are popular because they are about judgement, not just numbers. Anyone can see who scores the most runs, but picking the next captain means reading the selectors’ minds — who do they trust, who do the players follow, who can handle the press. That is why these markets attract sharp money and why the prices move fast when real news breaks. They are also a good reminder that betting is not only about what happens on the field.
If you enjoy the betting side of cricket, our spread betting cricket guide explains a very different kind of cricket market, and our soccer predictions guide covers how we read a weekend of football.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the current England cricket captain?
Ben Stokes captains the Test side and Harry Brook captains the ODI and T20 sides. Brook took over the white-ball job from Jos Buttler in 2025, and Stokes is leading England in the Ashes in Australia in November 2026.
What were the odds for the last England captain change?
When the white-ball job opened in February 2025, Harry Brook was the heavy favourite at 1/2 with Betfair. Liam Livingstone was second at 5/1, with Ben Duckett and Phil Salt next at 9/1. Brook got the job.
Is there a live market for the next England captain?
Not for an imminent change, because there is no vacancy. Bookmakers only open a proper market when a job looks likely to change hands — after a resignation, a bad series, or a public hint from the selectors. Long-term “next captain” markets appear from time to time, but they are thin and the prices move on rumour.
Who is most likely to be the next England Test captain?
If Stokes stepped down, Harry Brook would be the favourite — he already captains the white-ball sides and is a fixture in the Test team. Joe Root would be near the front as the experienced option, and Jacob Bethell is the long-term name after captaining a T20I series at 21.
Why are captaincy odds so short for the favourite?
Because the successor is usually obvious to anyone close to the team. The vice-captain, the senior player the dressing room respects, the name the selectors keep mentioning — the market sees all of that. Short odds are the market saying “we all know who this is”.
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