Ben Stokes

Ultimately, it's not up to you.

But from my point of view, I feel like we've got the makings of a good cricket team.

We haven't lived up to that down here, but we've got the makings of a good cricket team.

And I think there's some good years in front of English cricket.

It would be nice to be involved.

I'm all for progress and evolution in all sports, whether you're involved in them or not.

From my point of view, I have firm beliefs in what works and in some areas where you want to keep improving and some areas where you think that you can evolve.

I'm not against assistance, but I also have a firm belief in how to be able to get the best out of these players.

From my point of view, I'll look at it individually and say, what could I have done better and what can I improve on?

Am I for being told what to do?

Of course I'm not.

But at the same time, I'm not pig-headed to think that there's not some areas that we can improve on.

And once we digest what's unfolded over the last two months and start to plot and plan a way forward, if you're the man in the chair to do so, then you do so with a similar conviction and your methods, albeit with a couple of tweaks.

When I took the job on I remember the situation English Cricket was in and I felt it was a great opportunity to be able to use the resource that sits within English Cricket, the talent that sits within English Cricket and also the support base and the history which sits within English Cricket and see an opportunity particularly for the test side to ensure that whilst these challenges

which are hitting the game all around the world with franchise cricket, etc., that you're still able to try and get the best players you possibly can, get them excited to come on tour and look forward to the challenge and to work with guys to get the best results.

I think over the last three and a half years with Stokes and myself, I think our records, it is what it is.

It's certainly improved from what it was.

Whether it's at the levels that we all want, probably not, but it doesn't mean you can't get there.

Yeah, of course I am.

Again, I think we've got some players, some of them at the very start of their journey, and with more game time, more exposure into them, we'll see the likes of Jacob Bethel and Josh Tung, those sorts of guys will continue to emerge, and you become a more hardened, more...