England Test captain, Ben Stokes who hasn’t played any white ball international cricket since the 50-over World Cup in 2023 has expressed interest on making a comeback in the shorter format after Brendon McCullum took over as the coach in all formats.
BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on cricket action
Stokes last played a T20I match for England in their triumphant final of the T20 World Cup in 2022 at The MCG while his last ODI appearance came in against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in November 2023 during the 50-over World Cup
Following England’s early exit in the tournament, he had announced his retirement and followed that up with opting out of the 2024 T20 World Cup to focus on his rehab after knee surgery.
Will Ben Stokes to return to play white-ball cricket?
Stokes shared his desire to return to the ODI and T20I cricket if coach McCullum, who took over the reins of all three formats called him back to play the shorter formats for England.
“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 told to Sky Sports.
“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,” he added.
Ben Stokes praises Brendon McCullum’s aggressive approach to cricket
Both Stokes and McCullum have an excellent relationship as captain and coach in the Test format.
While it is to be seen if this leads to the former’s comeback to white-ball cricket, the allrounder has never failed to show his full support and appreciation for the Kiwi’s ‘Bazball’ philosophy.
“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,” he concluded.
The 33-year-old had previously announced his ODI retirement in 2022 but made an exception and returned to the side just to play the 50-over World Cup in India. He is currently recovering from the hamstring tear that he had suffered while playing in the Hundred and missed the Sri Lanka Test series as well.
