“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” Ben Stokes must’ve said to himself before returning as England’s Test captain. It was indeed a long week for the all-rounder. The decision to breach the midnight curfew protocol cost him and England dearly.
Cracks emerging?
Stokes and Gus Atkinson were suspended, which raised questions over the management and England’s loss to New Zealand at The Oval. Reports suggested that he was mulling over retiring from cricket and that England felt he couldn’t return as captain. Neither of those things happened. But it seemed like head coach Brendon McCullum wasn’t pleased with Stokes’ conduct.
When he addressed the press after the incident, McCullum didn’t state that Stokes would return as skipper. Following that, reports emerged that the fractured relationship they had, the cracks of which emerged first in Australia during the 2025-26 Ashes, was truly broken now.
No rift, says Stokes
McCullum was asked about their relationship on June 23. The head coach stated that he considers Stokes a friend and sees eye to eye with him. But does Stokes believe the same? Yes, he does. The England captain has dispelled all rumours of a potential rift. The captain and coach don’t always agree, but their goal is the same, and Stokes wants to continue working with him.
“There’s been a big misconception around this with Brendon and me. Obviously, we have a professional relationship as head coach and captain. But then we’ve also got a relationship away from that. You know, we generally are very good mates. We’ve built a rapport and a relationship away from that, and we’ve been through some testing times and have been through some great times.
"Just give Brendon a break on all that" Ben Stokes has backed his relationship with Brendan McCullum as he returns to captain England against New Zealand in the third Test of the series pic.twitter.com/uATjlBLzjb
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 24, 2026Do we agree on everything? Absolutely not. Do we have discussions around things? Absolutely. And those discussions are the things that end up getting both of us to a place so we can make a good decision. And not agreeing on everything shouldn’t be seen as a divide between Brendon and me. You are allowed to have discussions. You are allowed to have disagreements. But I feel like you need to get those things out there to each other to end up being in a place where you can make a good decision,” Stokes told reporters at Trent Bridge.
‘Cares about me’ – Stokes on McCullum
The 35-year-old was questioned over McCullum, stating that he feared for his mental state. Was there any validity to the claim? Stokes didn’t expand. But he just said that the Kiwi cares deeply about him and the entire team. That’s why he spoke about the matter and urged the media to cut him some slack.
“Well, friends care for each other, don’t they? Just like I think anyone else would. If someone is worried about one of their friends, then how they portray that in front of quite a lot of people is not an easy thing to do. So, I think just give Brendon a break on all that. It was a hard thing for him to do, to come up here and speak about that, I’m sure. I knew what he meant. He cares about me, and he cares about members of the team as well. So, yeah, I think don’t read into his words too much,” he added.
Ben Stokes refutes rumours of rift with Brendon McCullum after return as England Test captain Inside Sport India.
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