Brendon McCullum has pushed back on suggestions that his relationship with returning England captain Ben Stokes has become strained following a fortnight in the spotlight. 

Stokes reunited with his England team-mates ahead of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, following an investigation into an incident at a nightclub. 

Gus Atkinson, who was also involved in the incident following the first Test at Lord's, has also been cleared of any wrongdoing and was brought back into the side. 

England won the first Test by 115 runs before New Zealand tied the series with a dominant 253-run win at The Oval, a match both Stokes and Atkinson were absent from. 

And McCullum was thrilled to have both Atkinson and Stokes available, with the England boss explaining he had a positive conversation with Stokes upon his return. 

"[Stokes and Atkinson] are good," said McCullum ahead of the team's training session at Trent Bridge on Tuesday. "They're actually really good.

"Ben's great. I had a good catch up with him this morning. We spent a good hour and a bit talking, and he's outstanding, actually.

"To my assessment, he looks fantastic. He's ready to go and excited about the week. From our point of view, it's nice to have the band back together.

"My assessment was that I was slightly concerned and worried. Now my assessment is that he looks great, and he's ready to go."

So good to have you back with us @BenStokes38

Here's our XI for the third and final Test match of the series at Trent Bridge

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 23, 2026

Stokes replaces Jordan Cox in the team and Matthew Fisher is the pacer giving way to accommodate Atkinson's return.

In the other change by England for the third Test, Jamie Smith is back from paternity leave and takes over from James Rew at wicketkeeper.

Another New Zealand win in the coming days would crank up the pressure on the regime, as it would bring about a first home series defeat in McCullum’s four-year reign.

It was widely believed that only back-to-back triumphs against the Black Caps and Pakistan this summer would suffice, following their dismal showing in the Ashes. 

As for the security of his own position, McCullum said: "What will be, will be. When I took this job I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

"You can't whinge about it when you're deep into it. There's a stubbornness to me as well. I'm a big boy, I can get on with things."