England Test captain Ben Stokes has reaffirmed his backing of head coach Brendon McCullum, insisting their working relationship remains strongly in sync even after small differences appeared during the team’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. The all-rounder suggested that while the day-to-day approach with McCullum may need to be handled “in a slightly different way,” their shared ambition is unchanged: pushing England to win major trophies and get the most out of the group.
Stokes, speaking in his first interview since the Ashes, pointed to the stability of the captain-coach partnership after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) review. Both men will continue in their respective roles, with England planning to enter the next cycle with Stokes as captain and McCullum as coach, ahead of a home Ashes series scheduled for 2027.
Stokes on the partnership after the Ashes
- Stokes said he is confident in how he and McCullum can work together, describing their long history of collaboration while acknowledging it may now look a bit different.
- He stressed that the central focus for both of them is still the same: aligning on winning and making the team as strong as possible.
- Stokes dismissed talk of any fracture between the pair, calling the notion of “misalignment” an exaggeration.
- He added that, despite similarities, there are also differences between the two, and that those contrasts are part of their conversations rather than a sign of a breakdown.
- According to Stokes, the pair agree on the vast majority of issues, and when they do not, they discuss it until they reach the direction they want.
- He argued that agreeing on every single point is unrealistic, and therefore any claim that they are not aligned is “a massive overstatement.”
Stokes also reminded that he had already publicly supported McCullum’s continuation as head coach following the Ashes setback. That backing was viewed as important in helping the New Zealander retain his position. The England captain is under contract through the next Ashes, while McCullum is expected to remain in charge until the subsequent World Cup.
Reflecting on why he felt comfortable endorsing McCullum’s role, Stokes said that after four years of progress with the group, he could not see the same plan working with anyone else. He described both himself and McCullum as men who put “heart and soul” into the job, expressing pride in what they have built together so far and a desire to still be working as a team as England head toward the end of 2027, aiming to secure the trophies they set out to win.
