Ben Stokes has played down suggestions of a disagreement with England head coach Brendon McCullum, insisting they remain aligned despite the recent Ashes defeat. In a video released by the ECB on Tuesday, the Test captain said that agreeing on everything would be 'unhealthy'.
Stokes acknowledged that he and McCullum have differences, but stressed their shared goal of success. 'We agree 95% of the time on things, but those 5% things that we might have different views on, we talk about it... Saying we weren't aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement,' he said.
Reports had suggested the pair criticised each other during the ECB's internal review after the 4-1 Ashes loss. McCullum retained his job, but the governing body now expects greater professionalism. Tactically, Stokes shifted from the aggressive 'Bazball' approach to a more cautious style after falling 2-0 down, leading to a confused performance in Adelaide that frustrated McCullum privately.
Stokes emphasised that the team's approach will look 'different' this summer, with tours from New Zealand and Pakistan. 'We still want to win everything... It might just look a little bit different now to how that operates,' he said. Stokes is expected to return from a broken cheekbone for Durham on 8 May.
