Retired all-rounder Ben Stokes says he is already working towards his coaching qualifications and would love to one day lead England in a managerial capacity.
Ben Stokes has declared his ambition to coach England, saying he is already pursuing his Level 3 coaching qualification while still playing county cricket. The 35-year-old retired from international cricket in June during England's Test series against New Zealand, ending a career that included the 2019 World Cup triumph and a match-winning Ashes innings at Headingley that same year.
Speaking on the podcast 'For The Love Of Cricket', Stokes was unambiguous about his future plans. 'I'm doing my Level 3 coaching now while I'm still playing, because I want, when the day comes that I'm not playing any more, I'd love to be able to have all that stuff signed off and done,' he said. 'I want to be a coach. 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 be coach of England one day? Absolutely.'
Stokes, who led England's Test side from 2022, expressed confidence in his ability to handle the demands of a coaching role. 'I would do a pretty good job at it because now I have an understanding of responsibility on the shoulders. I don't actually mind making big decisions,' he said.
Stokes also weighed in on the captaincy handling of Harry Brook, whom he described as a 'freakishly talented' player. He questioned the decision to make Brook vice-captain rather than handing him the captaincy outright when Stokes himself missed a Test match against New Zealand. 'Brook was made vice-captain. Even when I missed that Test match, I was like, why is Brook vice-captain?' he said. 'He's vice-captain, and the captain isn't playing, but he's still not captain. What does that say?'
Following Stokes's retirement, England's all-time leading Test run scorer Joe Root was reappointed as Test captain, with former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming taking over as coach.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.