Ben Stokes Assures Participation in 2nd Test Against New Zealand Despite Injury Concerns

Christchurch, Dec 1 (NationPress) England's captain Ben Stokes declared his intention to play in the second Test against New Zealand despite an injury scare experienced during their eight-wicket triumph in the first Test at Hagley Oval on Sunday.

Stokes had to halt while bowling to Tim Southee and passed the ball to Gus Atkinson to complete the over. He refrained from bowling after that but chose to stay on the field as England pursued a target of 104 to clinch victory on day four.

"This week has been quite taxing - a lot of time spent in the field, I delivered 20 overs and batted as well. I injured my back while diving for a ball, so it was more about management than anything else.

"Given where we stood in the match, I didn’t think it necessary to push through any more deliveries. I believe my body is in good shape for this outing and I'm eager to take the field in Wellington," Stokes said post-match.

In the first Test where Stokes scored a commendable 80 in the second innings, he bowled a total of 19.3 overs. He also highlighted his partnerships with Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson that contributed to England's total of 499 in their first innings.

"It was beneficial. With Gus and Carsey coming in and batting confidently, I was handing them the strike while thinking, 'I should be playing that role!' We found ourselves in a delicate situation and I focused on building a partnership with Brooky to secure a substantial total," he explained.

Brook scored a stunning 171 and had some luck on his side as he was dropped five times by New Zealand. "When the opposition is dropping catches consistently, you definitely want to capitalize on that and achieve a big score.

"Brooky is an exceptional player and a remarkable talent. Having someone of his caliber in our middle order is fantastic. He consistently pressures the bowlers and is continually improving," Stokes added.

Stokes also praised pacer Brydon Carse, who achieved a ten-wicket match haul, becoming the first England bowler to take ten wickets in an overseas Test since Monty Panesar in 2012.

"I believed our bowlers were quite relentless, marking a strong start. I’ve known Brydon since our days at Durham and have always recognized his potential and talent, so witnessing his significant impact is incredible. He’s a workhorse and will keep charging in all day regardless of whether conditions favor him or not," he said.

With New Zealand now trailing 1-0 in the series, captain Tom Latham acknowledged the need to improve their catching. "To have them at 70-4 with our tails up (in England’s first innings), if we had taken some catches – myself included – things could have turned out differently.

"Even though the game's outcome appears significant, there are small margins in cricket, and unfortunately, they didn’t play out in our favor. I don’t think it’s a matter that requires (extra) training.

"We certainly train hard behind the scenes, and it’s not a continuous issue. It’s just one of those moments – sometimes when one catch is missed, they all seem to follow suit. We prefer to maintain a balanced mindset and not overemphasize issues. We recognize the need for improvement and hope to achieve that in Wellington," Latham expressed.