After England revealed the outcomes of the Ashes review in March, Stokes posted a passionate message to supporters on social media.
“I love being England captain and I have got so much more to give to this role,” Stokes wrote on Instagram.
Asked on Wednesday if he thought his team needed to rebuild the relationship with supporters, Stokes said: “I’ve never thought there was an issue with our relationship with supporters. We know that losing games of cricket hurts them as much as it hurts us.
“It hurts to see a team that you support and have given a lot of time to go out there and lose, especially the way that we did it. It sucks, and it also sucks to be a part of as a player.
“I’m not sure what needs to be mended, because we absolutely love everyone who supports English cricket and we always feel that support.
“We’re still going out there to make people feel happy they support a team who know what they’re trying to do.”
On Tuesday, England trimmed their initial 15-man squad down to 12 players. On a wet Wednesday at Lord’s, and with more rain forecast across the Test, Stokes declined to finalise his XI.
When the 12 was named, head coach McCullum suggested off-spinner Shoaib Bashir will have a place in the team, but Stokes said that plan could change if the toss is significantly delayed and the match shortened.
Stokes did reveal that Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson are in line to take the new ball, meaning the uncapped Sonny Baker would be the seamer to miss out if England opt for Bashir.
Robinson will play his first Test in more than two years after being dropped by England following the tour of India in early 2024.
The 32-year-old has an excellent record in Test cricket, averaging less than 23 in his 20 matches.
But England grew frustrated with his fitness record – Robinson suffered back injuries that limited his involvement in each of his past two Tests: against India in Ranchi, and against Australia at Headingley in 2023.
“Skill-wise, I hope he’s the same bowler,” said Stokes. “We’ve spoken to Ollie and he knows the reason he’s found himself back here is because he’s done what we’ve wanted to see from him and told him.
“For him, the easy part was getting back in, because he’s always that good. Now he’s here, it’s about staying here for as long as he can.
“The time away from the team, as frustrating as it probably was for him, hopefully we see Ollie Robinson being in an England shirt for the next four, five, six years, because he’s a very good bowler.”
