{"id":198812,"date":"2026-07-30T13:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T19:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=198812"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T19:05:21","slug":"ben-stokes-should-return-for-one-more-ashes-australia-coach-mcdonald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=198812","title":{"rendered":"Ben Stokes should return for \u2018one more Ashes\u2019: Australia coach McDonald"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-body-71284303\">Australia coach Andrew McDonald says Ben Stokes has \u201ca lot of good cricket left in him\u201d and believes England\u2019s new Test coach should lure him of international retirement for the Ashes.<\/p>\n<p>The all-rounder called it quits in extraordinary fashion during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in late June, making his exit public on the fourth afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>The bombshell announcement came after he returned to duty following the fall-out from a London nightclub incident also involving teammate Gus Atkinson earlier that month.<\/p>\n<p>Brendon McCullum was sacked soon after as England\u2019s red-ball coach, with British media reporting this week that another New Zealander, Stephen Fleming, is poised to take over.<\/p>\n<p>McDonald, whose side travels to England for the latest instalment of the Ashes next year, said Stokes still had plenty to offer and his return would be an ideal storyline for the series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 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,\u201d McDonald told Australian radio station SEN late Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re looking at promoting that series, that\u2019s probably the angle that you would want, that he comes out of retirement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo me, he\u2019s still got a lot of good cricket left in him,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019ll be a fascinating watch. I think that whoever the new head coach that comes in potentially has a conversation with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stokes, who is still playing at domestic level for Durham, is only 35.<\/p>\n<p>By comparison, Australia could field as many five players in its Test against Bangladesh next month who are older &#8212; Nathan Lyon (38), Steve Smith and Scott Boland (both 37), Mitchell Starc (36) and Josh Hazlewood (35).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know why Ben left. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s been anything on the record around the definitive reason as to why,\u201d added McDonald.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe may have just called it a day on Test cricket, and that\u2019s it, so there might be a full stop there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr there might be an opportunity for that new head coach to potentially twist his arm and bring him back in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"publish-time\" id=\"end-of-article\">Published on Jul 30, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/ben-stokes-should-return-ashes-australia-coach-andrew-mcdonald\/article71284303.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Australia coach Andrew McDonald says Ben Stokes has \u201ca lot of good cricket left in him\u201d and believes England\u2019s new Test coach should lure him of international retirement for the Ashes. The all-rounder called it quits in extraordinary fashion during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in late June, making his exit&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":198813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Cricket_T20_World_Cup_Short_Staffed_Aussies_31425.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":193431,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193431","url_meta":{"origin":198812,"position":0},"title":"Brook upbeat about England ODI form amid Test captaincy uncertainty","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Harry Brook was adamant England\u2019s white-ball cricket was \u201cheading in the right direction\u201d after another chastening one-day international loss saw India enjoy a six-wicket success at Edgbaston on Tuesday. But England\u2019s limited-overs captain was rather more reserved when asked about the possibility of succeeding Ben Stokes as Test skipper, saying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T175318Z_148835798_UP1EM7E1DOTET_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T175318Z_148835798_UP1EM7E1DOTET_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T175318Z_148835798_UP1EM7E1DOTET_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T175318Z_148835798_UP1EM7E1DOTET_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14T175318Z_148835798_UP1EM7E1DOTET_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ODI-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193054,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193054","url_meta":{"origin":198812,"position":1},"title":"Brendon McCullum sorry for England Test defeats, accepts performances were not good enough","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brendon McCullum has apologised for the unsuccessful end of his reign as England\u2019s Test coach, saying \u201cit\u2019s time for someone else to have a go\u201d. McCullum, who will remain in charge of England\u2019s limited-overs set-up, was axed from the red-ball role he had held since 2022 after overseeing seven defeats\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143839Z_816575084_RC2NLLAQAS2S_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143839Z_816575084_RC2NLLAQAS2S_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143839Z_816575084_RC2NLLAQAS2S_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143839Z_816575084_RC2NLLAQAS2S_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143839Z_816575084_RC2NLLAQAS2S_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":195002,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=195002","url_meta":{"origin":198812,"position":2},"title":"McCullum confident he can work with new England Test coach","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brendon McCullum insists he can work alongside England\u2019s next Test coach despite being sacked from the role. McCullum was dismissed as Test boss following England\u2019s 2-1 defeat by New Zealand in a series that culminated in the international retirement of red-ball captain Ben Stokes. But McCullum remains in charge of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP_C2CR6ZD.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP_C2CR6ZD.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP_C2CR6ZD.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP_C2CR6ZD.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP_C2CR6ZD.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193200,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193200","url_meta":{"origin":198812,"position":3},"title":"Bazball \u2014 the myth that ultimately ate the method","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The thing about rock and roll is that it\u2019s a feeling. After four years and 49 Tests, red-ball cricket\u2019s favourite (or least-favourite) rock and roll act has parted ways. First to go was captain Ben Stokes, who announced his international retirement in the middle of his final Test against New\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-06-28T183545Z_1270323428_UP1EM6S1FNJDB_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-06-28T183545Z_1270323428_UP1EM6S1FNJDB_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-06-28T183545Z_1270323428_UP1EM6S1FNJDB_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-06-28T183545Z_1270323428_UP1EM6S1FNJDB_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-06-28T183545Z_1270323428_UP1EM6S1FNJDB_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":195282,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=195282","url_meta":{"origin":198812,"position":4},"title":"Ben Stokes scores century in first match since international retirement","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ben Stokes scored a century for Durham against Derbyshire in his first match since his international retirement. Stokes raised his ton from 116 deliveries, and finished unbeaten on 108 from 123 balls with 10 fours and three sixes as Durham won by five wickets with five balls to spare.BEN STOKES\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HNw3tffWEAE5jdP.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HNw3tffWEAE5jdP.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HNw3tffWEAE5jdP.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HNw3tffWEAE5jdP.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HNw3tffWEAE5jdP.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194382,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194382","url_meta":{"origin":198812,"position":5},"title":"Andy Flower rules himself out of running for England Test head coach role","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower on Friday ruled himself out of running for the England\u2019s next Test coach. Flower had been heavily linked to take over the reins following the departure of Brendon Mccullum after a four-year stint. The 58-year-old, who is also the head coach of Hundred\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC2817.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC2817.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC2817.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC2817.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC2817.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-PIE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=198812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/198813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=198812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=198812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=198812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}