Ben Stokes moved to play down concerns over his fitness and declared himself “raring to go” for the second Test at Wellington after the England captain ended his efforts with the ball mid-over during the eight-wicket win at Hagley Oval.
At the end of a year in which Stokes has missed four Tests with a hamstring injury, there were fears the all-rounder had done himself another mischief when pulling up lame three balls into the fifth over of his spell on the fourth morning.
But given England were already closing in on victory against New Zealand at this stage – something later secured with a day to spare through Brydon Carse’s six-wicket haul – Stokes was in fact taking a cautious decision after feeling some minor stiffness in his lower back.
“I think the body is going to be good for this outing,” Stokes said, having sent down 19.3 overs in the match and enjoyed a return to form with 80 in England’s first innings. “I’ve not spent that much time out in the middle for a long time.
“I hurt my back diving for a ball on day one as well. It was more management than anything else: with where we were in the game, it didn’t feel necessary to eke out any more balls than I needed to. I think the body is going to be good for this outing and I’m raring to go for Wellington.”
After a troubled tour of Pakistan, Stokes appeared rejuvenated and his ability to perform his role as an all-rounder may well be key to England’s hopes of claiming an unassailable 2-0 lead when the series resumes at the Basin Reserve on Friday (10pm GMT on Thursday). The team already have a few moving parts.
Although it may not change that much, even with Ollie Robinson having now arrived in New Zealand as wicketkeeping cover after Jordan Cox’s fractured thumb.
The move to hand Ollie Pope the gloves in Christchurch was a success, with his work behind the stumps solid and his 77 from No 6 central to a first innings that went from a troubling 71 for four to a match-winning 499 all out.
“I think we did it right by letting Popey concentrate on batting and wicketkeeping separately,” Stokes said, having credited Pope’s 151-run stand with Harry Brook (171 from 197 balls) for the turnaround. “We found ourselves with a problem and solved it. That was the makeup for this game and we’ll see in Wellington.”
There was no doubt as to the apple of the captain’s eye, however, with Carse’s 10-wicket match the kind of performance Stokes expected from his county teammate. “He was very raw when he first came to Durham [10 years ago],” Stokes said. “But he had natural ability. One ball could be 90mph, the next could be 82mph, but he would keep bowling, even if his toe was ripped off.
“He wouldn’t show any pain, though, he’d just keep going and going. He’s turned out to be the cricketer I always thought he could be. He’s just worked incredibly hard to get himself here and I think he’s going to be playing for England for a long time now … which is a shame for Durham.”
Carse, named player of the match and now boasting 19 wickets from his first three Tests, said: “I’ve known Ben for 10 years and we have a good relationship. To have him captain me is a massive factor – he knows my cricket inside out. It’s a very calming influence on me, letting me be myself and play my natural game.”
