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England all-rounder Ben Stokes has declared that he is ready for a white-ball comeback under Brendon McCullum's regime. The 33-year-old believes the same candidate with a similar messaging coaching England across formats bodes well for them.
Stokes hasn't played for a white-ball game for England since the 2023 World Cup. The England Test captain had retired from ODIs in 2022 but reversed it only for the 50-over World Cup last year.
Speaking to Sky Sports during the third ODI between England and Australia in Durham, the all-rounder heaped praise on McCullum. He said that the coach's complete commitment to a particular style of cricket is amazing to see.
"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.
Hence, the southpaw said his answer would be yes if McCullum asked him to rejoin the side.
"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 decided to skip the T20 World Cup in June this year to return to full fitness for the Test series at home. However, he plied his trade for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024.
"It was a hamstring tear that just sneaked into my tendon" - Ben Stokes
Stokes revealed that he will undergo a scan on his hamstring as the Pakistan tour looms and said that his rehab has gone according to his plan. However, he underlined the need to fire on all cylinders, saying via ESPN Cricinfo:
"I've got my six-and-a-half week scan tomorrow, so we'll know more from that, but I'm feeling really good. It was a hamstring tear that just sneaked into my tendon, so that's why it's taken a week or two longer, but my rehab has gone really well, so hopefully tomorrow everything gets the all-clear, and we can start pushing it a bit more."
"There's a lot more than just my hamstrings that I need to get back firing again, in terms of bowling, because you use everything. So I need to get that all right to make sure that I don't do any more damage to any other parts of my body."
England's Test tour of Pakistan begins on October 7.
