Ben Stokes shifts focus to Ashes 2023 after disappointing end to England’s great Test summer
NZ vs ENG: England captain Ben Stokes said that he was disappointed to end a great Test summer with a loss in Wellington but doffed his hat to Tim Southee and Neil Wagner.
Stokes doffs his hat to Southee, Wagner after New Zealand eke out 1-run after follow on (AP)
By India Today Web Desk: England captain Ben Stokes stated that his side will now shift their focus to the Ashes 2023 after a disappointing loss in Wellington capped off their great Test run on Tuesday.
New Zealand pulled off a “Mission Impossible” by defeating England by one run on a tense day five after being forced to follow on in the Wellington Test. Neil Wagner took four wickets and held two crucial catches.
It was only the fourth time in Test cricket history that a team was asked to bat next and the second time a team had won a Test by one run, following West Indies’ victory over Australia in Adelaide in 1993.
On a bright Tuesday afternoon at Trent Bridge, New Zealand had set England 258 to win, but their hopes had faded as Joe Root (95) and Ben Stokes (33) put on a 121-run stand to reduce the deficit to 57 runs with five wickets in hand.
Enter Wagner, who dismissed Stuart Broad (11) and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes for 35. Following Foakes’ dismissal, tailenders Jack Leach and James Anderson needed seven runs to win, and Anderson smacked a boundary off Wagner to cut the margin to two runs. Wagner struck again, this time catching Anderson down the leg side for four points, sparking joy among the New Zealand players and fans.
“That game is what Test cricket is about, it was just incredible. The emotions we were going through and obviously the Kiwi boys out there as well. It was incredible to be involved in such a Test match. Everyone’s got their money worth,” Stokes said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“It was a case of assessing the situations, we always knew that at some point in that partnership (between himself and Root), Tim was gonna have to roll the dice with something. Wags came on and blew the game open for them. For myself and Joe there, that was our opportunity to pounce. Sometimes things don’t happen the way you want them to.
Stokes doffed his hat to New Zealand captain Tim Southee and pacer Neil Wagner after the star duo helped the hosts seal a thrilling victory in Wellington.
“With those bouncer plans, we had to make a decision and obviously it didn’t come off for us. It was an opportunity for us to score runs there. As soon as Waggie came on to do those bouncers, I saw it as an opportunity to maybe take 20 runs off the over and then bring the game even more in our favour.
“Credit to Waggie and Tim for coming up with that idea. (On his knee) Better than bad. Disappointing to end with a loss here. We had a great summer last year. We have a few months off before the Ashes. We will look to do what we can,” Stokes added.
