England star Ben Stokes gives three-word response to ODI comeback question

England all-rounder has told fans to 'wait until February' to find out if he's returning to one-day international .

Stokes, 33, retired from ODIs in the summer of 2022 to focus on captaining the Test side but to be part of England's defence in India. and have since appointed Test boss as their new white-ball head coach.

With McCullum set to call the shots from the beginning of 2025, Stokes has been tipped for a return. The duo are currently in Pakistan preparing for England's third Test match, .

Quizzed on potentially returning to the ODI setup under McCullum, who he's enjoyed great success with for the Test side, Stokes refused to rule out a second comeback. "Wait until February," the 33-year-old replied with a wry smile.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Stokes was then asked if he'd held talks with his Kiwi boss regarding a return, to which he again replied: "Wait until February," and a gave firm nod to the reporter.

Last month, Stokes revealed in an interview with that he'd 'definitely' say yes to a call-up if McCullum wanted him to be part of the white-ball team. "I've played a lot of white-ball cricket for England and I'm very happy and content with what I've achieved in that form of the game," the Test captain explained.

"If I get the call to come and play, then obviously it's definitely going to be a yes. But I'm not going to be too disappointed if I don't - it means that I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it. Me and Baz have not spoken about anything like that whatsoever."

Get involved! Should Brendon McCullum bring Ben Stokes back into the ODI setup? Have your say in the .

Stokes' fresh comments in Pakistan hint that discussions have taken place, although he and McCullum are focussed on bouncing back from last week's 152-run defeat which sets up a series decider in Rawalpindi. England have selected three spinners - , Shoaib Bashir and the recalled Rehan Ahmed - in an effort to combat Pakistan's success in the second Test.

"I'll be backing the three spinners that we've picked," Stokes said. "We don't know exactly how the wicket will play, but we've taken as much information from it as we can. We think the longer the game goes, the more spin will come into play."

head coach , the former fast bowler, believes that the near-bald pitch will 'favour the slower bowlers'. The hotly-anticipated third Test will start at 6am UK time on Thursday.