Following the departure of coach Matthew Motts, McCullum was appointed as the all-format coach for the Three Lions. Sharing a great rapport with red-ball skipper Stokes, the latter expressed that he cannot deny a comeback if the former New Zealand wicketkeeper asked for it.
“If I get the call and 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. 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. 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 said in a Sky Sports interview.
Stokes, who is currently nursing an injury suffered during the 2024 Men’s Hundred missed the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka that the hosts won 2-1. In a Northern Superchargers game, he pulled off his hamstring while completing a double and was assisted off the ground immediately. The 33-year-old was last seen in action during the red-ball series against West Indies that the English unit won 3-0 convincingly in July. He has been suffering from a bad knee for a long time followed by a hamstring pull that troubled him for the better part of the English summer.
Currently, England are shouldering arms with Australia in a white ball series with Harry Brook leading the side in the ODIs. Following a 1-1 draw in the three-match T20I series, Aussies are currently leading the ODIs 2-1 with a couple of matches on the cards.
