Ben Stokes has revealed that he would love to become England’s head coach in the future, saying coaching is the path he wants to pursue once his playing career comes to an end. Speaking on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast with Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad, the former England captain said he is already completing his Level Three coaching qualification so he has the option of stepping into coaching whenever he decides to retire from playing.
Ben Stokes made the remarks just days after England appointed Stephen Fleming as their new Test head coach following the departure of Brendon McCullum from the red-ball role. McCullum, however, continues as England’s white-ball head coach, while Fleming has taken charge of the Test side.
Ben Stokes retires as England GOAT
Stokes brought the curtain down on an extraordinary international career after announcing his retirement during England’s Test series decider against New Zealand. The decision marked the end of a remarkable 15-year journey in international cricket and concluded his four-year spell as England’s Test captain.
Widely regarded as one of England’s greatest all-rounders, Ben Stokes represented his country across all three formats, scoring more than 11,000 international runs and taking over 300 wickets. He also played defining roles in England’s ODI World Cup triumph in 2019 and the T20 World Cup victory in 2022, while producing several unforgettable performances in Test cricket.
As Test captain, Ben Stokes led England in 44 matches, recording 24 victories, 18 defeats and two draws.
Ben Stokes expresses interest in future England head coach role
While reflecting on life after retirement, Ben Stokes admitted that coaching has always been part of his long-term plans. The England great said he wants to complete his coaching qualifications while he is still playing so that he has the freedom to either take a break or move directly into coaching when the time comes.
He also acknowledged that becoming England head coach would be a dream opportunity, although he admitted he has no idea whether such a chance will ever arise.
“I’m doing my level three coaching now while I’m still playing because I want, when the day comes that I’m not playing anymore, I’d love to be able to have all that stuff signed off and done. So then I’ve got that option if I want to go into it, or if, you know, I wanna be, I don’t know, have a couple years off and just do whatever I wanna do. But then I’ve always got that option there of being able to come, because I want to be a coach. I know what I wanna do in terms of staying within the game, which is to be a coach,” the former England all-rounder stated.
“And would I love to be coach of England one day? Absolutely, I would love to be able to do that. Do I think it’s gonna happen? I don’t know. Like, no idea. But, and then further on from that, I don’t know. I just really like the idea of being, again, like in some form of leadership away from playing.”
I don’t actually mind making big decisions – Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes also explained why coaching appeals to him, saying he enjoys helping people improve and positively influencing those around him. He added that leadership responsibilities never intimidated him during his playing days and believes those qualities could help him succeed as a coach in the future. Stokes said:
“Again, you know, when I said at the start, when I said to Baz, like when I first started, like, how good is it when you wake up in the morning and you feel like you can positively influence someone? It’s an amazing feeling that you’re able to do that.
“And I don’t feel like, I feel like if I was ever to be in that role again, whether away from playing, I think I would do a pretty good job of it because, you know, I have an understanding of, you know, it’s, you know, you’ve got to take a lot of responsibilitys on your shoulders. And I don’t actually mind making big decisions because I feel like I always feel like I’m doing that for the best of the team that I’m in charge of, if that makes sense.”