New Delhi, Aug. 4 -- The whole cricket fraternity came to a standstill when Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket in the middle of England's home Test series against New Zealand last month. Having being appointed as the Test captain in 2022, Stokes along with head coach Brendon McCullum reshaped England's approach in red-ball cricket - playing aggressive and with intent.

However, two weeks after Stokes announced his retirement, McCullum was sacked from his red-ball job with fellow New Zealander Stephen Fleming taking over. Joe Root has been reappointed as England Test captain. McCullum's sacking comes after England's recent poor show.

After the Stokes-McCullum pair inspired a run of 10 wins out of their first 11...