Brendon McCullum wants to stay on as England coach, Ben Stokes endorses Harry Brook as new captain

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Ben Stokes has thrown his weight behind Harry Brook to succeed him as England Test captain but declined to back Rob Key and Brendon McCullum after his side slumped to a 2-1 series defeat by New Zealand.

Stokes, who announced his retirement from international cricket midway through the fourth day of the final Test, which England lost by 160 runs, pledged '100 per cent support' to Brook. The 27-year-old is England's white-ball captain and has served as Stokes's deputy for the Test side.

'There's a reason why he [Brook] was asked to be vice-captain of this team,' Stokes said. 'I know that with all the controversy over the last couple of weeks, there were some decisions that were made [Joe Root being named interim captain for the second Test], but those were decisions that I wasn't part of making.'

Stokes sat out the second Test while the ECB investigated an incident in which he and Gus Atkinson broke the team curfew on a night out in Chelsea.

'You're asked to be vice-captain of the team for a certain reason,' Stokes, 35, said. 'I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time and it's a natural progression. If the captain's not there or unavailable, then he had to do that. So there's absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn't do it.

'He's someone who's obviously an incredible player, one of the more senior players in the group, but we all know he's a phenomenally talented individual when it comes to his skills as a batter. You don't ask someone to be vice-captain if you don't think they've got the skills and the ability to be able to captain the team when they need to.

'So if I was asked who I think should do it, I'm throwing my 100 per cent support behind Harry Brook.'

The outgoing England captain did not offer the same support to McCullum, the head coach, or Key, England men's managing director, however, instead focusing on the past and saying that decisions on their future were not his problem.

'What me, Brendon and Rob have managed to do over the 4 and a half years has been quite an interesting ride. We've taken it where it is. We've had some incredible highs and some pretty low lows as well. I feel we've always worked and connected pretty well in terms of what we want to achieve. We've always had that direction of how do we get the team better and how do we take it forward. It didn't always work out the way that we want it to work out.

'One of the nice feelings about being in the situation I find myself in now is that I don't have to worry about that stuff [their futures]. I thoroughly enjoyed my working relationship with Brendon and Rob. I'm happy with any decision to be made - I don't have to worry about it.'

Asked if he'd answer the call to return if he got it for next year's Ashes, Stokes said: 'No, I'm done. I'll hopefully be watching from a hospitality box.' McCullum confirmed that he would not be stepping down as England's head coach, saying he was fully committed to the role and to English cricket.

'My commitment and enthusiasm to English cricket has never wavered. I love what I do, I feel incredibly grateful for the position I hold and I turn up excited every day. That will be no different tomorrow,' he said.

McCullum revealed a decision about the captaincy would be taken soon, with talks 'over the next few days', but with England about to play five T20s and three ODIs against India, a formal announcement may take a bit longer.

Stokes did not inform McCullum of his retirement decision until Sunday morning, although he had told Root and Brook the evening before. The head coach revealed he did try to persuade Stokes to change his mind.

There remains confusion about the timing of the decision and what triggered it, but Stokes said he had been thinking about it before and during the first Test because he felt unable to find the enthusiasm and drive of old.

– The Times, London