Australia coach Andrew McDonald is certain that international cricket has not heard the last from the recently retired Ben Stokes. McDonald, whose side will travel to England next year for the Ashes, believes the Stokes story is not over just yet. The all-rounder, winner of the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup, announced his international retirement last month in the middle of the third and final Test against New Zealand. A bar brawl controversy after England’s win in the first Test had a huge bearing on Stokes’ retirement decision a few weeks later. After missing the second Test on account of the controversy, he returned for the third and final Test, but on the fourth day, he stunned the cricketing world with his decision. It was a bolt out of the blue, to all intents and purposes.
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“I think the fairytale would be that he comes back out of retirement and takes on one more Ashes and builds a lot of hype on the way in,” Australia’s coach told radio station SEN.
“If you’re looking at promoting that series, that’s probably the angle that you would want, that he comes out of retirement.
“To me, he’s still got a lot of good cricket left in him. It’ll be a fascinating watch. I think that whoever the new head coach that comes in potentially has a conversation with him.
“We don’t know why Ben left. I don’t think there’s been anything on the record around the definitive reason as to why. He may have just called it a day on Test cricket, and that’s it, so there might be a full stop there,” he added.
The Root-Trescothick combo?
England look to find a new captain as well as the Test coach after the departure of Stokes and New Zealander Brendon McCullum. Joe Root and former England opener Marcus Trescothick (on an interim basis, though) have been tipped to take over those two roles. “Or there might be an opportunity for that new head coach to potentially twist his arm and bring him back in.
“But if it ends now, he’s had a wonderful career in terms of what he’s brought to the game, his impact in certain innings and moments in time. It will age pretty well for him to look back on,” McDonald, whose side thumped England 4-1 earlier this year in the Ashes, said.