Ben Stokes says he would love to become England head coach in the future, as he expresses concerns about the toll captaincy could take on Joe Root.

Former England captain Ben Stokes says he would love to become coach of the national team in the future. The 35-year-old, speaking on the For the Love of Cricket, external podcast, also expressed surprise at Harry Brook not succeeding him as England Test captain and concern for Joe Root being appointed to the role. Stokes, who had been England's Test captain since 2022, announced his shock retirement from international cricket in June - during the third and final Test of the series against New Zealand. The all-rounder's departure came weeks after he missed England's second Test against the Kiwis following an incident in a London nightclub. "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 any more, I'd love to be able to have all that stuff signed off and done," said Stokes. "I 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." England were beaten 2-1 by New Zealand and the series defeat followed the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia, meaning they have not won a Test series since late 2024.