Former England Test captain Ben Stokes has opened up on his future plans after his shock retirement from international cricket, revealing his ambition to coach an English side in the future.
Stokes quit as England Test captain and retired from the international stage after a 2-1 Test series defeat by New Zealand in June.
The all-rounder had been dropped for the second Test against New Zealand after he and team-mate Gus Atkinson broke a team curfew in a nightclub incident following the opening match of the series.
Stokes said his turbulent four-year reign as captain had left him exhausted. He famously reversed his ODI retirement to play in the ICC World Cup in 2023, and England managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key last week said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Stokes were to return to Test action.
However, Stokes, while speaking on the ‘For the Love of Cricket‘ podcast, with former teammates Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler, said he is “definitely” not coming back to the Test arena
“I’m doing my level three coaching now while I’m still playing, because when the day comes that I’m not playing anymore, I’d love to be able to have all that stuff signed off and done,” Stokes said.
On his coaching plan, Stokes added, “I know what I want to do in terms of staying within the game, which is to be a coach.
“And would I love to be the coach of England one day? Absolutely. I just really like the idea of being in some form of leadership away from playing.”
Joe Root has been reappointed as England’s Test skipper after Stokes’ exit, with Harry Brook, who has served as vice-captain, overlooked for a promotion.
Brook was given Stokes’ endorsement, but the white-ball captain’s nightclub incident in New Zealand, hours before leading England in an ODI, continues to cast a large shadow over him.
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Ben Stokes remains surprised that Brook was passed over, saying, “If you think someone’s going to be a good captain or a good leader, then just give it to them.
“Even when I missed that Test match, I was like, ‘Why is Brooky (not the captain?) -– he’s vice-captain’. And I sort of got it. I understood the reasoning why they were saying it.
“But I was still like ‘what message is that sending to him?’ He’s the vice captain. And then the captain is not playing, but he’s not the captain. What?
“I had no leadership or captaincy experience when I took over.”
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