Speaking at Chester-Le-Street in Durham, Stokes said that there are “five or six people” who are in the running for the role, although he made clear that former captain Joe Root would not be considered.

“The vice captain is a very important and crucial role,” Stokes said. “Sometimes it can just be seen as a token gesture. You have got to help your captain. I know how vital I was in helping Joe along that road.

“Joe will always be someone I look to for advice, someone players will turn to for advice. He has captained the team for five years, it would be stupid not to ask for advice. But making him vice-captain would be a bit backward as if I left the field he would be captain again and he has just stepped down.”

With Root out of the running and Stokes alluding to “five or six” people being in contention, we had a look at the potential candidates.

Zak Crawley

Writing in The Telegraph,chief cricket correspondent Nick Hoult suggested Crawley as an option for vice-captain on the basis that he has a consistent summer with the bat for England. The 24-year-old averages 28.60 in Test cricket after 21 matches and his modest average would make him a surprising choice for many. He is also currently averaging just 17.33 after three games in the current County Championship season. However, England may be keen to develop new leaders in order to avoid a similar scenario to the one just experienced where beyond Root and Stokes there appeared no viable candidates to take over as Test captain. If all were to go to England’s plan, Crawley would kick on as the international batter they believe him to be and then in two or three years time would be well-placed to take over the role full time.

James Anderson

If England believe this year may be too early for Crawley, they may look for a short-term option who can help Stokes over the summer. On this front, few options would be more appealing than the most experienced active Test cricketer in the world in James Anderson. Although he was left out for England’s recent tour to the Caribbean, new managing director of England men’s cricket Rob Key announced that Anderson (and Broad) would be available for selection this summer with Stokes keen to get both back involved.

Stuart Broad

The thinking behind choosing Broad would be very similar to that of Anderson, a wise old head who would be a reliable sounding board for Stokes when he finds himself wanting another opinion. Broad also has previous international leadership experience having captained the England T20I team between 2011-2014 and was the only other option, besides Stokes, in realistic contention to take on the Test captaincy. However, Broad is unlikely to play in every game and is far from guaranteed a spot in the side come the first Test of the summer, although Stokes’ description of him and Anderson as “the two best bowlers in the country” makes that more likely. If it is unlikely that Broad and Anderson play too many games together, could there even be the potential for a Broaderson job share?

Jonny Bairstow

Behind Joe Root, Bairstow is England’s most experienced Test batter with 83 caps to his name and having scored two centuries in his last four Tests, his space in the side at the start of the summer is secure. Furthermore, Bairstow has previously thrived with added responsibility, averaging 37.37 with the bat when he has also been playing as wicket-keeper compared to just 30.45 when playing as a specialist batter. Could the vice-captaincy lead to a similar uptick in performance?

Jos Buttler

Buttler has previously been England’s vice-captain and despite currently being outside the current XI, the possibility of a return to a leadership position isn’t as outlandish as it first appears. Buttler is a favourite of both Key – who previously described him as being the best option for captain in the entire England set up were it not for mitigating factors – and also Stokes, whom Buttler is good friends with and highly respected by. He is also the favourite to take on the white-ball captaincy when the Eoin Morgan era comes to an end. Buttler’s red-ball future is far from certain, but if he was to play Test cricket again he would be a strong option to take on a leadership position within the dressing room.

No one?

Could England opt to go without an official vice-captain? Leadership takes many forms and doesn’t necessarily need an official title to go with it. With any and all potential options likely to draw a public reaction in one way or another, they could opt to keep it in house with only Stokes and the dressing room in full knowledge of who the senior voices are.