MOUNT MOUNGANUI – Ben Stokes insists he has no interest in England rewriting the record books while their New Zealand adventure continues.
However, this team should not only overcome a poor recent record in this country, but also in the pink ball tests when this two-game streak kicks off at the Bay Oval.
England have had many doubts to overcome since Stokes and manager Brandon McCallum met at the start of the summer. It all started with a 3-0 series against the same opponent, New Zealand, when the high-octane, fearless cricket brand that became known as Bazball was born.
However, will he survive a one-off home test against India? Have a 378-run England chase at Edgbaston.
Then came South Africa and their captain, Dean Elgar, who said England’s new style put them at risk of “getting an egg in their face”.
Despite a convincing first Test defeat at Lord’s, England bounced back with a roar to win that series 2–1.
Pakistan followed, with many speculating that Stokes and McCallum’s new paths would fail in a country where England had won just two Tests. What followed was a 3-0 defeat and some of the most exciting cricket matches the English team has ever seen.
Overall, Stokes and McCallum had nine wins from 10 Tests, a notable change as England won one of 17 when they took over.
However, they will face a new challenge when they face the pink ball in a country where they have not won a single Test since 2008. England’s day and night Test record is also staggering, with five defeats in as many away games.
Either way, they have to deal with a grueling New Zealand bowling strike at Mount Maunganui, Matt Henry is unavailable as his wife goes into labor, Kyle Jamieson suffers another stress fracture in his back and Trent Boult is out. overlooked despite living just 20 minutes from the Bay Oval when he pulled out of his central contract last December.
Matchbox
New Zealand – England 1st Test, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Starts Thursday at 1:00 AM UK time (BT Sport 1HD and BT Sport app from 12:15 PM)
- New Zealand: TWM Latham, DP Conway, KS Williamson, H Nicholls, D Mitchell, T Blundell (wicket), I Sodhi, TG Southee (captain), N Wagner, BM Tickner, JA Duffy.
- England: BM Duckett, Z Crawley, OJD Pope, JE Root, HC Brook, BA Stokes (captain), BT Foakes (wicket), OE Robinson, SCJ Broad, MJ Leach, JM Anderson.
- Judge: A Dar (Pakistan), K Gaffani (New Zealand).
- TV judge: R. Tucker (Australia).
- Innings: Expect a flat slope with a slight slope for flares, especially in the light.
- Weather: 24 degrees, rainy at times.
England were confident enough to name their team after 48 hours in that first Test, with Stokes confirming that Stuart Broad, who missed Pakistan on parental leave, would return to the bowling attack alongside James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach .
Unfortunately for New Zealand, Stokes admitted that his batsmen were able to achieve even greater heights in the series despite breaking Pakistan’s record books, including the most runs in a day in Test cricket – 506 – during the first Test in Rawalpindi. .
“The strike team is very aware of what they can do now because we have freed them,” Stokes said. “They really realized that with the way they play, they can probably take their game even further.”
It seems only a matter of time before Gilbert Jessop’s record of 76 in the fastest Test 100 by an England player – away against Australia at the Oval in 1902 – will be broken. Johnny Bairstow, on his phenomenal final day blitz against New Zealand at Trent Bridge last summer, and Harry Brook, twice in Rawalpindi, closed on Jessop.
But this is Stokes’s ambivalence about records. When asked about this particular memorial on Mount Maunganui on Tuesday, he replied, “I can’t tell you who Gilbert Jessop was.”
When asked about the broader context in which his team is making history, he said: “At the end of the first game in Pakistan [Rawalpindi]I won’t lie if Collie [assistant coach Paul Collingwood] When we read all the records we set, we were able to look back and understand how special this game was.
“But I would not say that we are necessarily striving to break these records. I guess it’s just something that comes with the way we approached it, I guess? But no, we’re not going to sit in front of the show and say, “These records need to be broken, let’s try.” I just think everyone is trying to play freely, which allows them to show the world how good they are.”
Stokes also spoke about his time as a captain, admitting that he cares less about his own performance and more about bringing out the best in others.
“I’d rather leave my mark on other people’s careers than try to cement my own,” he said. “One of my goals as England captain is to hope that some of these guys in the dressing room have a brilliant career here and if I can do something about it I’ll be happy.”
He also acknowledged that his captaining style draws different opinions in the dressing room. “We have a lot of cricket-savvy people in the locker room,” he said. So I’m not naive, believing that my way is the only way. I love listening and letting people talk.”