Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, finally addressed the rift rumours with head coach Brendon McCullum, saying the claims of the duo “not being aligned” is a massive overstatement. Ever since the loss in the Ashes against Australia, several reports have circulated, stating that the five-match series Down Under revealed cracks in the relationship between the duo and that the two were not seeing eye to eye on many issues. England lost the Ashes 4-1 to Australia, and a lot of criticism came the Three Lions’ way for their underpreparedness for such a marquee series.
Ever since Stokes and McCullum took over, England have yet to get the better of Australia and India in a Test series. To make matters worse, reports of England players engaging in binge drinking also surfaced during the Ashes and several stars were also seen visiting casinos on multiple occasions.
Both Stokes and McCullum will continue in their roles and are gearing up for England’s next Test assignment against New Zealand. During the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)- launched review of the Ashes loss, the Telegraph reported that Stokes had blamed McCullum for the defeat. However, the claim hasn’t been confirmed by either party.
However, Stokes has now clarified these rumours, saying the duo remain cordial and agree on most matters. He also added that there are times when discussions and debates are necessary to ensure the team plays to its potential.
“Saying that, we weren’t aligned is a massive overstatement. When you are in a leadership position with someone else. If anyone thinks you’re always going to agree on everything, then it’s impossible, and that to me isn’t a healthy environment for sport in particular, where everyone just agrees with everyone,” said Stokes in an interview with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) social media team.
“You need debates, you need arguments. You need discussions, and then you end up where you both want to be. As similar as Brendon and I are, we are also dissimilar. The thing we both want is to be as successful as we can,” he added.
‘Different characters’
The England Test captain added that he is always willing to have a chat with McCullum when the two don’t see eye to eye on an issue, and they always come up with a solution.
“We agree 95 per cent on things, but those 5 per cent things, we might have different views. We talk about it between each other, and then we end up getting to the place where we both feel that with my character and Brendon’s character, we put those two things together,” said Stokes.
“But agreeing on every single thing that’s just impossible,. I’m very confident in my and Brendon’s ability to work together because we’ve done it for such a long period of time now. But work together in a slightly different way. The main point of Brendon and me is making this team as good as they can be, but it might just look a bit different now than how that operates,” he added.
The England Test team will next be in action in a three-match Test series against New Zealand, beginning June 4. After this series, the Three Lions will also face Pakistan in a three-Test series at home.
