The England Test captain, Ben Stokes has revealed that he would be open to making a return to the white-ball side after the appointment of Brendon McCullum as the Head Coach for England across all formats.
However, Stokes has also added that such talks are yet to take place between the two as he focuses on his recovery ahead of England’s tour of Pakistan for a three-match Test series.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for the white-ball team to experience what Baz has brought to the Test team. He’s an incredible coach who speaks with utter commitment, and it’s nice to have all three teams now with the same messaging and the same philosophies towards playing cricket,” Stokes said to SkyCricket as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
The English all-rounder also added that he would be happy to sit back and watch his teammates go about it in the white-ball games revealing that he wouldn’t be disappointed for not getting the call-up.
“If I get the call and [Baz] says, ‘do you want to come and play?’ Then obviously, it’s definitely going to be a yes, but I’m not going to be too disappointed if I don’t, because I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it,” he added.
Stokes was part of the English white-ball setup that won their maiden ODI World Cup in 2019, followed by the second T20 World Cup title in 2022. He will remain a memorable figure in English cricket history with his match-saving knocks in the middle-order along with his performances with the ball as well.
“I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, and I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game,” he added. “But to be honest, we’ve not even spoken about anything like that whatsoever. I think he’s just letting me concentrate on what I need to concentrate on, especially around the Test team,” Stokes commented.
With McCullum in the English white-ball setup, Stokes believes that the former New Zealand skipper would likely just help his focus on the Test side rather than once again rely on his services for the limited overs setup.
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