<\/p>\n
Ben Stokes has trained his sights on becoming England head coach in the future and expressed concerns about Joe Root\u2019s impending second stint as Test captain.<\/p>\n
In his first interview since retiring from England duty in June<\/a> \u2013 a two-hour chat with his former teammates Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler on the For The Love Of Cricket Podcast<\/a> \u2013Stokes again ruled out returning for next summer\u2019s Ashes.<\/p>\n But the 35-year-old still has ambitions in the international arena, namely a possible move into coaching when he eventually calls time on his domestic career with Durham and any potential overseas franchise gigs in the coming winter.<\/p>\n Stokes said: \u201cI\u2019m doing my level three coaching now while I\u2019m still playing because I want, when the day comes that I\u2019m not playing any more, I\u2019d love to be able to have all that stuff signed off and done.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I want to do in terms of staying within the game, which is to be a coach. And would I love to be coach of England one day? Absolutely. I just really like the idea of being, again, like, in some form of leadership away from playing.\u201d<\/p>\n While England\u2019s director of men\u2019s cricket, Rob Key, has recently said the door would remain open<\/a> for Stokes to make a dramatic return for next summer\u2019s Ashes series at home, the all-rounder is currently insisting he is \u201cdefinitely\u201d retired.<\/p>\n One thing that might have tempted him back is his close friend Root having returned to the Test captaincy, under a new head coach in Stephen Fleming, after Key decided it was \u201ctoo soon\u201d for Harry Brook to step up.<\/p>\n Stokes signed off from his final Test at Trent Bridge insisting Brook, his vice-captain, should be his successor and has now reiterated the point.<\/p>\n The worry is that Root could once again find the job all-consuming to the detriment of his own game, while Stokes also disagreed with Brook not being asked to lead when he missed the second Test against New Zealand for disciplinary reasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n