England Test captain Ben Stokes has expressed his willingness to return to the white-ball setup under the new coach, Brendon McCullum, if requested. However, he noted that there have been no discussions about his potential return to the limited-overs squads. McCullum's appointment as head coach across all formats followed a two-year period where England had separate coaches for white and red-ball teams. This change came after Matthew Mott's departure as limited-overs coach in July. The New Zealander will oversee the limited-overs teams when England tours India in January.
Stokes has been a pivotal player in the Test squad since McCullum took charge in May 2022 but has seen limited action in England's white-ball sides. He retired from one-day internationals before making a comeback for last year's ODI World Cup and last featured in a Twenty20 international during the World Cup final in November 2022.
"I've played a lot of white-ball cricket for England and I'm very happy and content with what I've achieved in that form of the game," Stokes told Sky Sports. "If I get the call 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 – it means that I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it. Me and Baz [McCullum] have not spoken about anything like that whatsoever."
Stokes has been out of action since injuring his left hamstring while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred last month. The 33-year-old reported that his rehabilitation is progressing well and he is scheduled for a scan on Wednesday. "In terms of bowling, there's a lot more than just my hamstring that I need to get back firing – you use everything," he added. "I need to get that all right to make sure I don't do any more damage to any other parts of my body."
