Ben Stokes breaks silence on international cricket return speculation

LONDON: Former England Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed he hopes to coach England in the future but has firmly dismissed any possibility of returning to international cricket after his recent retirement.

Stokes stepped down as England's Test captain and retired from international cricket following a 2-1 home Test series defeat to New Zealand in June, bringing an eventful four-year spell in charge to an end.

The 35-year-old all-rounder missed the second Test of the series after he and teammate Gus Atkinson were dropped for breaching the team curfew following a nightclub incident after the opening match.

Reflecting on his decision to retire, Stokes admitted the demands of captaincy had left him mentally and physically drained.

Despite England managing director of men's cricket Rob Key recently suggesting he "wouldn't be surprised" if Stokes made a return to Test cricket, the veteran insisted there would be no comeback.

Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Stokes said he is already preparing for life after playing by completing his Level Three coaching qualification.

"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 have all that stuff signed off and done," Stokes said.

He also outlined his long-term ambition of remaining involved in the game through coaching.

"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 coach England one day? Absolutely. I just really like the idea of being in some form of leadership away from playing."

Following Stokes' retirement, Joe Root was reappointed as England's Test captain, while vice-captain Harry Brook was overlooked for the role.

Although Stokes backed Brook to succeed him, the white-ball captain's nightclub incident in New Zealand, which occurred just hours before he was due to lead England in a one-day international, is widely believed to have counted against him.

Stokes admitted he was surprised Brook was not handed the captaincy.

"If you think someone's going to be a good captain or a good leader, then just give them it," he said.

"Even when I missed that Test match, I was like, 'Why is Brooky not the captain? He's vice-captain.' I understood the reasoning they gave, but I was still thinking, 'What message is that sending to him?'

"He's vice-captain, the captain isn't playing, but he's still not captain. What?

"I had no leadership or captaincy experience when I took over."