Ben Stokes open to England white-ball return

England's Test captain Ben Stokes has hinted at a return to both formats of white-ball cricket. After recovering from injury, Stokes stated in an interview that he has no objections to playing in both white-ball formats. He mentioned that if England's Test coach Brendon McCullum wanted him on the team, he would certainly say 'yes.'

During the third ODI between England and Australia, Stokes told Sky Sports, "This England team is definitely heading in a new direction in white-ball cricket. I have played a lot of white-ball cricket for England and I'm pleased with my achievements in this format. If I am included as part of the future plans for the white-ball team, that would be fantastic."

He elaborated, "However, if I'm not called up, that's fine too. It means someone else has stepped up and is doing very well. So, if they call me and ask, 'Do you want to play?', my answer would definitely be yes. But I won’t be too disappointed if I’m not called, as I can sit back and watch the others play."

Brendon McCullum has taken charge of coaching all three formats of England cricket. Stokes mentioned that he hasn't yet discussed his desire to return to white-ball cricket with McCullum.

"McCullum asked me about this, but I am a huge fan of English cricket. I want all teams to perform well. If I were being selfish, I would say to McCullum, 'No, you have to stay with us. I won't have you for long.' But I think what McCullum has done with the Test team is a great opportunity for the white-ball team to benefit from that experience."

It is worth noting that Stokes retired from ODIs in 2022 but made a comeback during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He has not played any ODIs since then and last played a T20I against Pakistan in 2022.