Harry Brook and Joe Root are jostling for favouritism in the odds for who will captain England in the first Test against Pakistan in August.
After a disastrous Ashes series on and off the field in the winter, England suffered a 2-1 series defeat at home to New Zealand on their return to red-ball action.
They are now searching for a new Test captain after it was announced that Ben Stokes was retiring from all forms of international cricket in the middle of the third Test at Trent Bridge.
England start a three-match series against Pakistan on August 19th and the avenues are limited when it comes to choosing Stokes' successor.
Here are the contenders to captain England in the first Test at Headingley.
England Test Captain Odds
(Odds will display when the market is available)
The obvious choice when appointing a new captain is to look in the direction of the vice-captain.
Harry Brook is the 50-over skipper and he has been Stokes' vice-captain since the start of the Ashes.
However, off-field issues and the fact that Joe Root was chosen to lead the team when Stokes missed the second Test against New Zealand does create an element of uncertainty.
Brook may still be the long-term successor but there could be a temptation to look in the direction of Root once again to steer the team through a period of transition and uncertainty.
Therefore, a scenario where Root takes temporary charge with a view to handing over to Brook after the summer feels possible.
Ben Duckett is arguably the only other established batsman in England's team but he has also been spoken to for off-field issues, while Jacob Bethell is still making his way in the Test arena.
Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler also feature in the England Test captain betting but they are not currently in favour, while Ollie Robinson has captained Sussex but he missed the rest of the series after impressing in the first Test against New Zealand.
