With England putting up a commanding performance at the Bay Oval Mount Maunganui to win the first Test, it is now 10 wins out of 11 games for the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum combination.
With England putting up a commanding performance at the Bay Oval Mount Maunganui to win the first Test by 267 runs, it is now 10 wins out of 11 games for the Ben Stokes–Brendon McCullum combination.
This was also England’s first Test win in New Zealand since their innings victory in Napier in March 2008 and Stokes thanked the batters and bowlers in his team in equal measure for his successful run as the Test captain of the England team.
“I am pretty blessed to be in charge of this bowling group at the moment. But I’ve also got a seriously skilled and very brave batting lineup to watch. They’ve got to take a lot of credit for the sort of record I have as a captain. It’s probably going to end up in a selection nightmare at some point. It’s great to have so many world-class players to choose from. I don’t like to look too far ahead, but we’ll have a good crop of players to choose from in the Ashes,”
Stokes said on Sunday (February 19) following England’s commanding win.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad took 12 wickets between them in the match, including four-wicket hauls each in the second essay. Stokes said the two veteran cricketers are a benchmark for persistence combined with success.
“With Jimmy and Broady, it is always going to be tough for the opposition. Having Anderson and Broad makes captaincy a lot easier because you just throw them the ball and they’ll probably get a wicket for you. Not only were they brilliant this whole game with the ball but we’ve got a 40-year-old and a 36-year-old setting the standard of what we’re about in the field in terms of energy.
“They’re setting a great example for anyone who wants to look at having a long career in professional sport. Seeing them with three lions on their chests is great, I don’t want to think too far ahead as to when they might call time on their careers,”
said Stokes, who was lavish in his praise of the entire bowling department.
“I am pretty blessed to be in charge of this bowling group at the moment. The idea is to take 10 wickets and that is what we are trying to do – taking the scoreboard away in any situation. As long as we are taking 10 wickets, it doesn’t matter how many runs we go for. We have an ethos with the bat but also with the ball.”
Harry Brook showed an outstanding performance, scoring 89 and 54 in the two innings at strike rates of 109.87 and 131.70 respectively. The 23-year-old now has 623 runs in five matches, which includes three centuries and as many half-centuries.
“Brooky is carrying on from his amazing series in Pakistan. He is a fantastic talent. I think he will go on to be a global superstar,”
said Stokes, who also credited the senior players for allowing the youngsters to play with freedom.
“The more senior guys with the bat have to take a lot of credit for allowing the young guys to go out and express themselves. They are trying to put on a show, which is what everyone wants to do and is being allowed to do. It has taken the weight off everyone’s shoulders and the expectation only comes from the dressing room.”