That love was first formed at Seaham Harbour Cricket Club, where his father Neil was one of the area’s leading club cricketers. McKinney Snr also spent hours throwing to his son in the nets.
“He was relentless and wouldn’t let me leave,” McKinney says.
“Sometimes that might be bad but it definitely set me up for the future. It is amazing to have someone who cares for your success and you improving.”
Despite the promise, there has been no contact between McKinney and the England set-up, other than what he has been able to glean from having England skipper Stokes alongside him in the Durham dressing room.
“How he practises is something I have never seen before,” McKinney says. “He is so particular and there is always purpose.”
The opportunities given to McKinney are no coincidence, however.
He was picked to open when warm-up opposition were provided to West Indies and Sri Lanka last summer and returned scores of 22, 46 and 20.
He also toured Australia with England Under-19s in 2023 – another relevant point with an Ashes series to come this winter – and hit 12 fours in a 45-ball 70 in England’s victory in Brisbane, hinting at a keenness to follow the Bazball mantra from the start.
“It’s actually the opposite,” he says. “My dad is very old fashioned. I used to bat 50 overs for 80.
“I used to love batting for time but somehow that flicked a switch, probably at a good time.
“There was a period I was probably going too hard but trying to find that balance of soaking up pressure and putting it back on has been the most important thing for my success this winter.”
Those words will be likely be a soothing symphony in the ears of England fans.
Their faith in England’s approach is wobbling at the worst possible time with only a Test against Zimbabwe from 22 May to come before five against both India and Australia over the seven months that follow.
“I would love to play all formats but I go back to being 10 years old and watching Alastair Cook opening the batting,” McKinney says.
“I loved the way he did it. It’s not the road I have gone down now but the basics behind it, I will be happy keeping him as my role model.”
There are no vacancies in England’s top seven but Zak Crawley’s poor form, Jacob Bethell’s Indian Premier League commitments and the chance for injuries means nothing can be ruled out at this stage.
McKinney will get six County Championship matches to push his case further before Zimbabwe arrive, starting with a trip to Nottinghamshire on Friday.
