Ben Stokes’ sudden retirement from international cricket has put England in yet another state of turmoil, with all eyes now on the future of Brendon McCullum.

The outgoing captain delivered the shocking news in the middle of his side’s third Test loss against New Zealand, prompting a divided opinion.

Ben Stokes walks out through a guard of honour. Getty Images

Stokes will go down as one of England’s modern-day greats but also a polarising figure, given his off-field history and the way his retirement was handled.

The attention will quickly turn to who replaces the 36-year-old as Test skipper, especially given vice-captain Harry Brook was in trouble for an alcohol-related incident during last year’s tour of New Zealand prior to the Ashes.

Joe Root, from all reports, doesn’t want to captain the side on a permanent basis, while young gun Jacob Bethell is yet to cement himself in the side.

And while the topic of who leads the side on the field is obvious, England great Michael Vaughan said there needs to be a decision made on the coach too.

“I’ve always thought in leadership, you need yin and yang – yin and yin is not gonna work, I can promise you that now,” he said on BBC’s Test Match Special.

“I fundamentally think if you get the coaching structure right and you put a world-class coach with this group, he will work with whoever the captain is.

“At the moment, it all stems from the coach because last night [day four] was a directive from the coach to go and play in that [aggressive] fashion.

“It’s been the directive for four-and-a-half years and it’s not been successful.”

Vaughan has floated Andy Flower as a potential replacement for McCullum, who has remained adamant he wants to continue in the role.

“Of course I do,” the Kiwi-born coach said.

“My commitment to English cricket has never wavered, I firmly believe in the direction that we can get this team to take.”

Despite having confidence in his coaching and the English regime, there are serious question marks being asked of McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key, who have overseen the rise and fall of Bazball.

Former captain Nasser Hussain believes a changing of the guard – whether in personnel or mindset – is inevitable now for England.

Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum during the Ashes tour. Getty

“They’ve lost seven out of nine Test matches, you can’t hide from that,” Hussain said on Sky Sports after the defeat at Trent Bridge.

“Brendon always comes over very positive and full of energy and I’d like a little bit more honesty at times. It’s not just a Brendon thing, it’s above the team and Ben Stokes – there is a lacking in attention to detail in the last year or so.

“There are certain things that should have been done away from the team and in the team … clear attention to detail at times has been lacking.

“There is talent there, but it’s not jut about talent, it’s about players understanding their roles and preparing properly. I feel a little bit deflated, it’s seven from nine matches and we are way down the World Test Championship table.

“The irony is, we’ve got a lot of New Zealanders in the backroom staff, and it was New Zealand who have actually given us a template on how you should prepare, play, behave and act as a Test match nation.”

Mike Atherton – another former Test skipper – believes it’s time for McCullum to give up either the white-ball or red-ball format.

“One thing I’m certain of is captain and coach can’t do it all,” he said.

“I think it was a big mistake of Rob Key’s to give Brendon McCullum the white-ball job on top of the Test match job – I thought he had it perfect for a while

“The schedule is such that there’s a T20 game starting in two days. I’ve been watching England in the nets this morning and they’ve all been batting against a white ball. I have no idea how Brendon McCullum and Harry Brook, after a three-match series, can possibly be planning and prepping for a white-ball series.

“The white-ball team needs a specific identity and the red-ball team needs a specific identity. I don’t think Brook, for example, can captain across all formats – I think it’s impossible and I don’t think the coach should be doing that.”