McCullum denies Stokes rift as he praises 'outstanding' England captain

England head coach Brendon McCullum has described Ben Stokes' state of mind as "outstanding" and insisted his relationship with the Test captain remains intact after a challenging fortnight. A week after saying he was "worried" about Stokes following his one-match suspension during an ECB investigation into a nightclub incident also involving Gus Atkinson after a team curfew breach - the pair were cleared by the Cricket Regulator - McCullum lauded the "fantastic" all-rounder ahead of his return to the captaincy for the third and deciding Test against New Zealand.

McCullum also defended the…