Ashes 2025-26: England captain Ben Stokes wants Brendon McCullum to remain as head coach

McCullum is set to lead England to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next month, and a decision on his future is unlikely to be made until after that tournament.

All-rounder Stokes said he “hopes” he will be consulted about any potential changes to the England national team hierarchy.

“It’s a situation where no one knows if it’s going to happen or not, but we’re very keen to keep doing what we’re doing,” Stokes said.

England won 10 of their first 11 Tests under Stokes and McCullum, but their results have been mixed since that opening success.

In their past 34 Tests, England have won 16 and lost 16, with two draws. They were unable to achieve victory in a five-Test series against Australia or India.

At the beginning of 2025, McCollum also took charge of England’s white-ball teams. Since then, England have won just four of their 10 Tests, including an expectedly comfortable win over Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May.

Explaining the reasons for England’s poor performance in the Ashes, Key pointed to the white-ball series in New Zealand before this tour as an impediment to the preparation in Australia. The former England and Kent international said he was not prepared to “write off” matches against the Black Caps.

But Stokes does not believe McCullum’s dual role is having a detrimental impact on the Test team.

“He has two jobs to do now,” Stokes said. “It has not affected our relationship with this testing team at all.”