I tried to talk but he made his decision: McCullum on Stokes’ retirement

England head coach Brendon McCullum revealed that he tried to persuade Ben Stokes to reconsider his decision to retire from international cricket, but said the captain had made up his mind by then. England lost the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge by 160 on Monday, conceding the series 1-2. But Stokes announced his adieu on the fourth day of the match itself, shocking everyone around.

But McCullum said he “tried to talk him down.”

“When he confirmed to me that he was going to retire, first I tried to talk him down (laughs) and... (it) became pretty obvious that he had made his decision and he was at peace within,” McCullum told Sky Sports.

“From that point of view, I guess your emotion then leads on to just a bit of sadness really because you have been on this journey together for four years and it’s been a real thrill. I feel very privileged that I’ve been able to work intimately with Stokesy throughout that and consider him a friend, a good friend.” McCullum lauded Stokes’ contribution as captain and player, terming him “a leader of men”.

“He is a leader of men, people follow him wherever he goes, whether that’s on the field, whether that’s in the dressing room, whether that’s at the team hotel, people follow him because he’s a vivacious character and he’s a big presence and he has conviction in his thoughts and his methods.

“In a game of cricket, which has so many variables and inconsistencies, that is one level of consistency that he brings...he truly believes in every situation. I think that adds a real sense of calm to a lot of people around him,” he said.

“So we are going to miss Ben, we’re going to miss that presence, we’re going to miss his leadership and his performance and it is difficult to replace someone like that.” McCullum said Stokes deserved a fitting farewell from fans.

“I was quite strong in my opinions that I thought we should get it out there when we could because I think he’s been a cricketer that’s been able to transcend the sport into other aspects of society and the popularity throughout society,” he said.

“I felt that the people that have supported Ben and this cricket team over the last 13 years since he’s been involved, deserve the opportunity to say goodbye and to show their appreciation for how much he means to them with one final walk out there.

“Ben Stokes was very much his own type of leader which we all adored. There will need to be some work put in there but that’s just the nature of things. No one can play forever, no one can captain forever. We want to celebrate Stokes’ time as our captain of his career and then in time we’ll start to think about those decisions.”

McCullum said he is now looking forward to taking English cricket forward with a new leader.

“My enthusiasm for English cricket and my commitment to English cricket has never wavered. I’ve got a firm belief in the direction that this team can go,” he said.

“We still have an identity about us but we want to continue to furnish and harness that to get us in a direction that we are the team that we want to be and that we want to represent the people of this country,” he added.