Andrew McDonald wants Stephen Fleming to call Ben Stokes and convince him to reverse his Test retirement before the 2027 Ashes. Australia’s head coach told SEN radio that Stokes has “a lot of good cricket left in him” and that whoever takes over England’s coaching should have a conversation with the 35-year-old about coming back.
McDonald described a Stokes comeback as the ideal promotional storyline for the Ashes. He called it a “fairytale” scenario, one where Stokes comes out of retirement, builds hype on the way in, and takes on Australia one more time. He also acknowledged he had no inside word on whether Stokes would consider it.
Fleming was confirmed as England’s new Test coach on July 30, replacing his former New Zealand teammate Brendon McCullum. Joe Root was reappointed as Test captain, taking over from Stokes. Fleming starts his new role after Pakistan’s three-Test tour beginning August 19 in Leeds.
McDonald’s call for a Stokes return is not without precedent. Stokes retired from ODI cricket in July 2022, citing an unsustainable workload. Thirteen months later, he reversed that decision and was named in England’s squad for the 2023 World Cup. He also convinced Moeen Ali to come out of Test retirement for the 2023 Ashes with a single text message.
Stokes retired from international cricket on June 28, during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. He announced it to teammates before the fourth day’s play, saying “reasons can wait.” He and Gus Atkinson had been suspended for one Test earlier in the series after breaching the team’s midnight curfew following a nightclub incident in London. Stokes later told Test Match Special the decision ran deeper than any single event, pointing to months of mental and physical exhaustion after England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.
“I’m done, mate.”
Ben Stokes, Test Match Special, June 28, 2026
He added he would “probably be watching it in a hospitality box somewhere” when asked about the 2027 Ashes. He has given no indication of reconsidering.
McDonald Stokes Ashes Return: Why Australia’s Coach Wants England’s Biggest Threat Back
Stokes is still playing domestic cricket. He turned out for Durham in two One Day Cup matches after his retirement, scoring an unbeaten 108 against Derbyshire and 73 not out in consecutive victories. He battled cramp throughout the century innings but batted through it, suggesting the competitive fire has not gone out entirely.
Australia’s own squad will not be young by the time the Ashes begins. Nathan Lyon will be 39. Steve Smith and Scott Boland will be 38. Mitchell Starc turns 37 in January 2027. Josh Hazlewood will be 36. Stokes at 36 would not be the oldest player on the park.
The 2027 Ashes starts at Trent Bridge on June 18, the same ground where Stokes played his final Test. The series runs through Lord’s, Edgbaston, the Rose Bowl, and finishes at The Oval on August 2.
Fleming coached Stokes at Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. That relationship is not cold. But Stokes told the BBC his decision was final, and McDonald himself admitted there might be “a full stop there.” McDonald also said he would be watching England’s approach closely during the Pakistan series to gauge whether Fleming changes the style of play that defined the McCullum era.
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McDonald is not being generous. An opposing coach publicly calling for a retired rival to return sounds like respect, and it is. But when you have spent years in professional cricket, you learn to read these statements differently.
Australia’s bowling attack has planned for Stokes for a decade. They know his trigger movements. They know where he scores, where he gets out, how he responds when a short ball follows a yorker. Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, and Lyon have bowled to Stokes in high-pressure Ashes moments across multiple series. Every plan they have for England’s middle order accounts for him. An unknown replacement at number five or six, someone whose habits Australia’s analysts have not mapped across 50 Test innings, is a harder problem to solve than a 36-year-old Stokes with a chronic knee and a body that cramped through a domestic century.
This is the calculation underneath the compliment. McDonald is not bluffing. He respects Stokes. He also knows that familiarity is an advantage in Test cricket. You would rather bowl to the batter you have dismissed 15 times than the one you have never seen under pressure at this level. That is the part no one is saying out loud.
Sources:
- SEN radio interview, July 29, 2026 cricket.com.au
- ICC, July 29, 2026 ICC
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- ICC ECB Stokes Dressing Room
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- Harmison: England Coach Situation a Mess
- Alastair Cook: England Feels Like a Mess
- Langer Paper Talk England Coach
- Darren Lehmann: ECB Already Decided McCullum Replacement
- Andy Flower Rules Out England Test Coach Role
