England captain Ben Stokes shrugged off concerns about his fitness after being picked in the unchanged squad for the second cricket Test against New Zealand starting Friday (June 10). Stokes was seen interacting with the team doctor during practice on Wednesday after he bowled just a few deliveries.
The all-rounder was interrupted by a side strain in the final two tests of the Ashes against Australia in December and January, while recovering from a two-finger operation as well as having missed most of 2021 due to mental health reasons. Stokes, who was recently appointed as captain and wanted to lead England to their first Test series win since January 2021, said he was just ‘a bit harsh’ and agreed with an assessment that it was just a breakdown.
“Very much, yes,” Stokes said. “It’s probably getting more sensible about training and things like that because when you get out there and cross that line, you do whatever it takes to help England win a game. He wants to do it.”
Stokes said he was in the squad as a batting and bowling all-rounder at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, where England would look to build on their five-wicket win over the Black Caps at Lord’s last week. He said he had no hesitation in placing confidence with players from the same group after spinner Jack Leach was fit to play after suffering a head injury in the first Test at Lord’s.
match details
England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test
Location: Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Date & Time: 10th to 14th June at 3:30 PM IST
Live Streaming and TV Details: Sony Six Network and SonyLIV Website and App
England vs New Zealand Dream11 Prediction
Wicketkeeper: Tom Blundell
Batsmen: Joe Root, Devon Conway, Alex Lees, Jack Crowley
All-rounders: Ben Stokes, Daryl Mitchell
Bowlers: James Anderson, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Matthew Potts
Captain: Joe Root
Vice-Captain: Tim Southee
England vs New Zealand Probable Playing XI
England: Jack Crowley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Fox (wk), Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Hamish Rutherford, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult