Brendon McCullum exclusive: England coach on Ben Stokes, how side will evolve after Ashes and new opener Emilio Gay

Head coach Brendon McCullum says England's Ashes thrashing has left himself and Ben Stokes "crystal clear" how they want to work together as he backed the captain to rediscover his best form amid a potential move to No 7 in the batting order.

There appeared a divergence of views and messaging between McCullum and Stokes during the 4-1 drubbing in Australia over the winter, with the coach's aggression at odds with the skipper's more conservative approach.

Speaking to Sky Sports' Michael Atherton in a wide-ranging interview, McCullum explained how he hopes a "more robust" England can mix "positivity and smartness" moving forward after throwing away a number of promising positions during The Ashes.

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McCullum said: "You are never going to agree on everything. Stokesy and I have worked brilliantly together for four years and we have consistently had robust conversations.

"That's because we respect each other and both have the same vision for where we want this team to go. If anything, this last period has given us a more crystal-clear direction of how we are going to operate as captain and coach.

"Fundamentally, we want what's best for this side and all the fans that support it. It's okay if we disagree on things at times. That is life. When you do decide the direction, you commit and get on with it."

Stokes - who turns 35 on day one of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's - bagged 15 wickets across the Ashes but mustered just 184 runs at an average below 20 and has only scored one Test century since June 2023.

McCullum hinted while speaking to the written media that the all-rounder could drop a slot from No 6 and now bat behind wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Asked if the captain's best days were behind him with the bat, McCullum said: "We have been having some good conversations recently about trying to rediscover the absolute brilliance that sits within his batting.

"He still has the burning desire to perform as England captain with bat, ball and in the field. We need to unlock him, he needs to unlock himself a little bit and I am hopeful that is going to work out.

"He is such an influential player for us, not just as captain. Batting in the middle order, bowling as he does, his energy in the field, his presence as a leader. It would be nice if all three aspects were firing and I am quietly confident we will see that this summer."

How will England's style evolve?

Elaborating on how the playing style may change, something he first touched upon in an in-house interview with the ECB this week, McCullum added: "We need to become smarter when the game is on a knife edge but don't throw out what has worked previously.

"I firmly believe positive and aggressive cricket can live with smart cricket. We play a strong style but sometimes when we get ourselves in winning situations we don't necessarily do what needs to be done.

"We need to navigate through those moments with the necessary calm, poise and tactical awareness to ensure you close games out.

"I'd like us to be a team that people recognise for how we play but also understand that we are fiercely competitive, well-prepared, clearly talented and tactically clever.

"I am confident that with the sharpening we have identified that we can become a more robust side when the pressure is at its highest, one that will be hard to beat and give ourselves the best opportunities in big series, which is the one area we have missed.

"We have a fierce ambition to achieve that."

England have not won any of the four marquee five-Test series they have played against Australia or India during McCullum and Stokes' time in charge - drawing 2-2 with those sides at home and thrashed 4-1 on the road.

'Gay has patience and shots - but debut will be hard'

Zak Crawley's struggles with the bat in Australia over the winter, and then his subsequent poor start to the county season with Kent, led to the opener being dropped, with Durham's Emilio Gay to partner Ben Duckett at the top of the order at Lord's.

Gay - who played three T20 internationals for Italy last year - averages a shade under 40 in first-class cricket with three of his 13 hundreds coming this campaign.

McCullum said of Gay, while adding that Crawley and fellow dropped batter Ollie Pope were young enough to "come again" as England players: "Emilio has a really nice all-round game.

"He is very sure how he wants to play at this level and that is encouraging. He has nice patience and the shots. It's just about choosing them at the right time.

"It's going to be hard: opening the batting against New Zealand with the skill they have, particularly with the new ball.

"Stepping up and walking down those stairs at Lord's, hearing the buzz, it makes funny feelings go on in your body. It's how you are able to handle that and still focus on keeping your game so simple that you are able to react in the moment.

"The message is you don't need any more shots. Play your game and I will try and help you handle the jump in expectation. If he can do that, he has a tremendous opportunity."

McCullum spent much of the early part of the county season in his native New Zealand and asked by Atherton whether he should have been present, he added: "You are always on the phone, talking, being engaged. I don't think it needs me standing on the boundary rope.

"I have been watching. I feel I have a reasonable idea of what is going on. You are never going to cover everything but I don't think anyone could. I don't think that's realistic.

"We are very fortunate to have a broad and vast amount of people who can assist us and make sure we identify every single player.

"I am confident in the systems we have in place. I am confident we have landed a good squad."

England squad for first Test against New Zealand: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.

Watch the first Test between England and New Zealand, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10am on Thursday (11am first ball). Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Brendon McCullum exclusive: England coach on Ben Stokes, how side will evolve after Ashes and new opener Emilio Gay