STOKES: BRENDON AND ME STILL BEST BET FOR ENGLAND

FROM BACK PAGE unmatched influence in the dressing room and no obvious contenders to replace him, Stokes' position as captain appears on considerably firmer footing than McCullum's.

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But the pair have worked at close quarters over the past three-and-a-half years and Stokes is certain they are best placed to pick up the pieces from an anticlimactic tour.

Both men are contracted for another 18 months, culminating in the home Ashes summer of 2027, and Stokes said: “There is no doubt in my mind that me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future.

“I can't see there being someone else who I could take this team (with) from where we are now to even bigger heights. We're both pretty keen on carrying on doing what we are doing.

“We haven't won here since 2010. Ashes tours in the past haven't gone well. You talk about wanting to change things...(but) if you do what we've done over the last four years, we'll just end up back in the same situation.