Ben Stokes has made it clear that he would love nothing more than to take on the role of England head coach one day, while also pointing out that former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum would probably still be in charge of the Test side if Stokes had not announced his own retirement weeks earlier. The 35‑year‑old all‑rounder stepped down from the England Test captaincy and announced his retirement from all international cricket after the side suffered a 2‑1 series loss to New Zealand in June. That defeat came on the heels of a 4‑1 Ashes drubbing at the hands of Australia during the previous winter, a sequence of results that left the England camp looking for a fresh direction.
Stokes opened up about his future for the first time since hanging up his boots on the "For The Love of Cricket" podcast, hosted by former teammates Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler. He said he had "definitely" retired for good and then turned his attention to his longer‑term ambitions within the game. "I want to be a coach," Stokes said plainly. "I know what I want to do in terms of staying within the sport – which is to be a coach.
Would I love to be coach of England one day? Absolutely. I would love to be able to do that. Do I think it's going to happen?
I don't know. No idea. Then, further on from that, I don't know.
I just really like the idea of being, again, in some form of leadership away from playing." Stokes had held the Test captaincy for four years, from 2022 until his retirement, working side‑by‑side with head coach Brendon McCullum as they attempted to reshape England's playing style and mindset. McCullum’s own departure from the Test coaching role was announced only two weeks after Stokes made his decision, during the fourth day of England’s third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. When asked about the timing of the two exits, Stokes admitted he was surprised by the rapid sequence. "If I hadn't made the decision that I made four weeks ago, Baz would still be coach," he said, referring to McCullum by his nickname.
He recalled the informal conversation they had over breakfast toast: "When I told Baz about my retirement he was making toast and I just went 'oh, I'm done'. I'd obviously had discussions with him anyway and then told him over toast.
Then, again, he was like 'yeah, I've been given the tap on the shoulder' and I was like 'oh'. But he's still very excited and very happy to be moving forward with the white‑ball because he's doing a very good job there." The new era for England's Test side was also a topic of discussion. Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has been confirmed as the new head coach, while Joe Root has been re‑appointed as captain after a brief interlude with Stokes at the helm. Stokes said he had spoken with Root when the announcement broke and voiced his full support for his former teammate’s second spell in charge.
At the same time, he expressed a personal worry for Root, recalling the heavy burden the role placed on England’s leading run‑scorer during his own tenure. "I love Rooty.
I wish him nothing but success," Stokes said. "I hope he goes on to achieve amazing things in his role of captain, and I think he's going to really enjoy it with Flem. He's a great man. I've worked with Flem before.
But I told Joe: 'my only worry is you'. And that's all I really care about now with Rooty just because I saw what he went through and how much he put himself through. He always put the team first; he always came second.
That is just my only concern with it: knowing what he went through last time he was in charge of the team because I don't want to see that ever happen again because I care for Joe a lot. But I wish him all the success in the world.
I'm sure he's going to do great so I'm looking forward to seeing what the team does going forward." Stokes also raised a question about the decision not to promote Harry Brook, the current white‑ball captain and Test vice‑captain, to the full Test captaincy. England men's managing director Rob Key recently said that "this is not the right time" for Brook to take the Test helm, but that his "time will come". Stokes disagreed with the timing, arguing that when a player is deemed ready for leadership, the opportunity should be given without hesitation. "If you think someone is going to be a good captain or a good leader, just give it to them," he said.
"Brooky was made vice‑captain. I'm not there anymore but even when I missed that Test match against New Zealand I was like 'why is Brooky not captain?
He's vice‑captain.' And I understood the reasoning why they were saying it, but I was still like, what message is that sending to him? He's vice‑captain and the captain is not playing but he's not captain. Then the same again here. I had no leadership or captaincy experience when I took over.
It was just thought I was going to be a good captain." When the conversation turned to the possibility of Stokes returning to the playing side for next summer’s home Ashes series, he was unequivocal. Despite Rob Key suggesting he "wouldn't be surprised" if the all‑rounder came out of retirement, Stokes said he never imagined extending his playing career beyond his current retirement. "I never once thought, 'I'm just going to give it up and just keep going as a player'," he explained. "I'm 35.
If I'm not going to be captain, I think I'd find it tough to do it. Not saying because I'd find it tough to be led by someone else. I just think because I've given so much of this part of my career to my job, if I'm going to play for England it's going to be as captain. I was very comfortable retiring from playing and not thinking about playing for England." When pressed on whether his retirement was final, Stokes gave a short, decisive answer: "Defo." Stokes' comments provide a rare glimpse into the mindset of a player who has just stepped away from the highest level of the sport, yet remains deeply invested in its future.
His desire to transition into coaching reflects a broader trend among former internationals who wish to translate on‑field experience into strategic and developmental roles. Whether he will eventually wear the England coaching badge remains uncertain, but his passion for leadership, his concern for teammates like Joe Root, and his outspoken view on Harry Brook's captaincy prospects suggest he will continue to shape the conversation around English cricket for years to come. Fans can continue to follow Stokes' journey, as well as the evolving England set‑up, through Sky Sports' cricket coverage, podcasts, and upcoming series such as the three‑Test encounter with Pakistan starting on August 19, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket and streamed via NOW without a contract.