England captain Ben Stokes has dismissed injury concerns and insisted he “wants to go” to the second Test against New Zealand after being pulled over while bowling during the tourists’ win in the series opener.
Stokes was withdrawn from the attack on the fourth and final morning in Christchurch but stayed on the field and said in his post-match presentation that he was just taking care of his body after twisting his back while defending.
The captain suffered a hamstring injury while batting for The Hundred this summer and subsequently missed the home match against Sri Lanka and the first of three matches in Pakistan.
Stokes scored 80 during England’s eight-wicket win at Hagley Oval.
Stokes, who scored 80 at number seven against New Zealand, said ahead of the second match in Wellington on Friday:: “This week has been quite a difficult week. I spent a lot of time in the field, bowling 20 overs and also spent time with the bat in the middle.
“I hurt my back diving for the ball, so management was more important than anything else. Where we played, we didn’t feel the need to take the ball out anymore.
“I feel like my body will improve for this outing, so I really want to go to Wellington.”
Stokes: Brooke is going strong.
Stokes’ knock, reduced to 30 by opposition skipper Tim Southee, was his highest Test score since the 2023 Ashes and he looked more fluent than when he averaged 13.25 in Pakistan in October.
Harry Brook scored 171 in the series opener after being dropped for five.
The skipper put on 159 for England’s sixth wicket at Hagley Oval with Harry Brook (171), who was dismissed five times by New Zealand, Gus Atkinson (48 from 36) and Bryden Cass (33 from 24). times) and added 63 and 40, respectively. The tourists rallied from 71-4 to 499 in the first innings.
Stokes added: “It was great. Gus and Carsey came in and were hitting like that, and I was giving them strikes and thinking, ‘I’ve got to do that!’
“We found ourselves in a difficult situation and I just tried to build a partnership with Brooky to get a good result.
Commenting on Brook, who became the second-fastest Englishman to score 2,000 Test runs, Stokes added: To keep scoring big.
Brook scored seven centuries in his first 22 Tests.
“Brooky is an incredible player, an incredible talent and it’s amazing to have someone of his caliber in our middle order.
“He is constantly trying to put pressure on the bowlers and he is getting stronger.”
‘Cass is a worker’
Carse’s batting performance improved as he became the first England bowler to pass a 10-wicket match overseas since spinner Monty Panesar in 2012, and the first seamer since Ryan Sidebottom in the New Zealand 16, by taking four wickets in the first innings and then six in the second. Included in . Many years ago.
“I also thought our bowlers were pretty brutal, so it was a very good start,” Stokes said.
“I grew up with Brydon (Carse) during my Durham days and knew his potential and talent, so it was amazing to see him make such an impact.
“He is a workhorse and will charge all day long regardless of whether the conditions are favorable or not.”
Player of the Match Carse, who now has 19 wickets in three Tests, said: “The surface in Pakistan was obviously very different to here, there was a lot more carry and bounce here, which suited my bowling style better.
“I am very happy with my individual performance and proud of the result. I am very satisfied that we were able to win as a team.
“We faced a variety of challenges throughout the game, but we stuck to a certain plan and were rewarded.”
