Ben Stokes encouraged England Rather than dwell on the disappointment of a heartbreaking one-round defeat against New Zealand, the side will feel “thankful” for instantly participating in the classic of a Test match at the Basin Reserve.
Just another side in its long history cricket test came too close to a successful fourth inning chase and lost, Allan Border’s Australia He was defeated by the West Indies in 1993 with the same result, but Stokes refused to be demoralized.
game Wellington England are striving towards a tough goal of 258 after a spectacular fight as they ask their hosts to beat 226 runs on the third morning.
The game went down and flowed multiple times throughout an gripping final day, with New Zealand taking first place with four early wickets only for England to take control with a 121-round stop between Joe Root and Stokes.
The balance of power regularly shifted once the finish line appeared, but when number 11 James Anderson was caught in Neil Wagner’s leg, England were two short of the win, with no more cards to play.
And Stokes, whose mission was to rekindle not only British wealth but wider interest in the Test format, was eager to see the big picture.
You have to lose games to truly appreciate how good it is to win. And if you’re going to lose matches, you want to be involved in a game like this rather than losing 200 laps or whatever.
Ben Stokes
To be in those moments, you play Test cricket for it. It was incredible to be a part of that.”
“What a game, it was crazy. Even in our locker room, if you can’t look back at that Test match on the losing side and you’re so grateful to be involved in a game like this… when will you be able to look?
“Test matches like this don’t happen very often, they don’t come very often. You have to lose games to really appreciate how good it is to win. And if you’re going to lose matches, you want to be involved in a game like this instead of losing 200 laps or whatever. but I think everyone appreciates this week as it is.
“That doesn’t mean we’re not fussy about winning or losing. We like to win, but if that’s not the case, we’ll raise our hands and say that the opponent is better than us.”
The decision to follow up on Stokes, the fourth captain who did and lost, will definitely be considered. But perhaps more importantly, he couldn’t pull his weight off the ball when he asked New Zealand to strike again.
He has long managed a chronic left knee complaint, managing flare-ups along the way, but has limited himself to just two of his 216 England bowlers.
Stokes admitted he was struggling physically, but has made it clear that he will continue to secure his £1.6m IPL deal with the Chennai Super Kings. With an upcoming Ashes post, fans will be crossing their fingers about her fitness.
“I won’t lie, it was very frustrating to know that there was something preventing me from performing the way I wanted, especially as the fourth Marine,” he said.
“I’m not a surgeon but I knew I wasn’t feeling well when I played a little bowling. Before Ashes I have four months to get even better and I will do my best.
“I’ve been in different situations where I was good, I’ve been through situations where I wasn’t good, but if anything, I’ll probably fulfill my commitment to getting even better now. I’ve been working hard with our physicists and doctors but when the matches started it was hard to get everything around my knee done.
“I’m going to IPL, don’t worry. I spoke with Flem (CSK coach Stephen Fleming) and he is fully aware of the situation with my body right now.”