England

England Test skipper Ben Stokes says he's ready to make a comeback to white-ball cricket if asked by coach Brendon McCullum who now is an all-format coach. Stokes, who has revived England's Test cricket after taking over as captain and McCullum as coach, retired from ODI cricket in 2022 to focus on Tests.

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Before retiring, the all-rounder played match-winning innings for England in both the 2019 ODI World Cup final and the 2022 T20 World Cup final. He last played in white-ball cricket during the 2023 ODI World Cup where England failed miserably in title defence.

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"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," Stokes told Sky Sports during the third ODI vs Australia on Tuesday (Sep 24). 

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"I've played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, and I'm very happy with what I've achieved in that form of the game," he added.

Stokes, however, cleared that so far there's been no talks whatsoever with McCullum who was named England's white-ball coach earlier this month. 

"To be honest, we've not even spoken about anything like that whatsoever. I think he's just letting me concentrate on what I need to concentrate on, especially around the Test team," said Stokes.

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The all-rounder also praised McCullum and said that the move will help align philosophies across formats for England.

"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," said Stokes.