England recently completed a series whitewash over Sri Lanka, winning all three games and reclaiming the number one spot in T20I rankings. England’s new Test coach Stephen Fleming spoke to the local media about Ben Stokes.
He was asked whether the veteran all-rounder would want to come out of retirement. The 35-year-old called time on his international career after the third Test match vs New Zealand in July. The host nation suffered a 1-2 loss in the series. Joe Root was eventually named the Test captain and led the side to a 3-0 win over Pakistan.
The Kiwi legend said, “I went to Durham and spoke to Stokes. We had a good chat, and he seemed happy and at peace with the decision he has taken. I have worked with him before, and he seems really happy and comfortable with what he is doing right now. I respect his decision, and to question him would be wrong.”
Since his retirement, the all-rounder has returned to domestic cricket. He scored a century in the ODI tournament for his side and is currently part of the ongoing county championship season. He will also be playing for Adelaide Strikers in the upcoming season of the Big Bash League.
Former CSK coach wants to make England number 1 Test side
Fleming stated that he wants to make England the number 1 side in Test cricket. “I would love to be in charge of the number one Test team,and this side has had some good moments, but there is more to come.”
His ultimate goal is to win the World Test Championship title “That is one of the biggest trophies in world cricket, and why shouldn’t we be aiming to win it along with other ICC titles?”
The white-ball team will be coached by Brendon McCullum, who played under Fleming early in his career. When asked about sharing coaching duties with his former teammate, the former CSK coach said: “It is nice to be in a situation where I get to work with him. It will be an advantage since we will get to talk freely and don’t have to spend time getting to know each other.”