McCullum insists no rift with Stokes as captain returns for New Zealand series decider

Ben Stokes returned to the England set-up on Tuesday following talks with Brendon McCullum before training. The last fortnight, McCullum said afterwards, was essentially a “blip” and they are still “very aligned” ahead of a third Test against New Zealand that could decide the future of their working relationship.

The fact that the head coach and captain felt the need to clear the air ahead of nets shows how much the temperature had risen around this England team. Stokes, Gus Atkinson, and the late night after Lord’s that saw them stood down before the 253-run defeat at the Oval, has put the leadership under pressure.

Outwardly, at least, McCullum is projecting a sense of calm. He and Stokes spoke for “an hour and a bit” ahead of their return to the nets at Trent Bridge, with the head coach choosing to keep details of their conversation private – save for the part where they shared some confusion about suggestions of a rift.

McCullum said: “I had a good catch-up with him and he was outstanding actually. He looks fantastic, he looks ready to go, he’s enthusiastic about the week. And obviously from our point of view it’s nice to have the band back together.

On their relationship, he added: “I said ‘do you know where this has come from, the conversations around our relationship over the last six months?’ He said ‘no, I have no idea’. I said to him ‘as far I’m concerned, I consider you a good friend’.

“We are good friends, we work very well together. It’s been a real privilege for me over the past four years to work in intimate detail and as a partnership alongside Ben. I look back on that fondly about how tight we were as a group and as a pair. Anything outside of that, it’s not really up to us. Ben and I are tight.”

McCullum slipping into the past tense may well have been accidental but this week – a series decider at 1-1 – does appear to be critical. The head coach declined to say whether they would still be working together come the first Test against Pakistan in August, rolling out one of his catchphrases about staying in the present.

Gus Atkinson, who took seven wickets at Lord’s, is back after being left out of the Oval Test. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

He added: “Everyone that’s seen Ben over the course of his captaincy and worked with him intimately alongside him has an immense amount of respect for him, myself included. One blemish doesn’t ruin all of that.

“It’s just a slight blip, then you move on. That’s where we’re at as a team, that’s where Ben is at as well. This week is an opportunity for us to play as one and show everyone who supports us just how much it means to represent this country.”

Stokes has stayed quiet since his late night at the Rex Rooms in Chelsea reopened scars from the wretched Ashes winter but is due to hold his regular captain’s press conference on Wednesday. Among the questions will be whether he threatened to retire during England’s initial anger over the apparent curfew break.

That the situation has seemingly since cooled is perhaps in part down to how the respective parties are viewed in the eyes of the public. The management, including team director Rob Key, were fortunate to survive the 4-1 defeat in Australia, while Stokes, albeit 35 and short of runs, is still central to the make-up of the team.

Though clearly not his preference of match, turning out for Durham against Northamptonshire last week offered Stokes some precious time in the middle. The response was 95 from 118 balls, with 18 fours muscled along the way.

McCullum said: “He actually texted me saying ‘have you seen the highlights?’ I said I had, and he said “I’m back”. I thought he played brilliantly, with a lot of oomph. He was dominating the crease, he was big at the crease, he was manoeuvring his way around the crease and able to score off the best balls. When we see Ben at his best, that’s the style he plays.

“A fit, firing Ben Stokes executing his disciplines across all three facets is an asset any team in the world would be desperate to have. We are lucky to have him. If he’s been able to recapture that aspect of his batting and unlock himself a little bit, then we should be in for a good week hopefully.”

Both Stokes and Atkinson are now back in the XI this week amid four changes to the rookie side that lost at the Oval. The ongoing heatwave sees Shoaib Bashir return as the frontline spinner, Jamie Smith returns from paternity leave, while Sonny Baker, James Rew, Matthew Fisher and Jordan Cox are dropped.

Other than Ollie Robinson, who is fit again after knee soreness but has seemingly not been fancied in the expected temperatures, it appears to be England’s strongest available side. This time there will be no excuses.