Ben Stokes enjoyed a winning start to life as England Test captain after a brilliant hundred from his predecessor Joe Root guided them to a five-wicket win over New Zealand at Lord's.
It was an utterly enthralling Test match that ebbed and flowed and Stokes was delighted to have won his first Test in charge. "Winning games is always special, particularly for England, and this was a great day," said Stokes.
The 31-year-old still has plenty to learn as a captain, having done the job once before in Test cricket when he filled in for Root in a game against the West Indies in 2020. With that in mind, Mirror Sport has taken a look at five things he will have learned in the win over New Zealand.
Anderson and Broad still have it
Stokes will have to manage the output of both James Anderson and Stuart Broad, but they showed that when they are fit they can still fire with the new ball like no others. The only question remains about the extra pace needed when the ball gets soft, which may have an impact on selection.
Potts rises to the occasion on debut
It isn’t until a cricketer actually plays Test cricket that you know whether or not they can handle it and there is no doubt that Matthew Potts belongs at Test level. He rose to the occasion each time he was thrown the ball and Stokes has quickly worked out he’s got a man to rely on.
Top three a work in progress
The top three had their moments such as Zak Crawley’s entertaining first innings and an opening stand of 59, but they will need more time to find their feet and develop into a consistent unit. Ollie Pope probably got the ball of the match in the 2nd dig so Stokes will be full of understanding.
Parkinson needs time to develop
The unexpected debut of Matt Parkinson was a bonus for both him and the team in getting him onto the field even at Jack Leach’s expense. It is now up to Stokes to really work hard with him on his development. Stokes took down Ajaz Patel brutally, so Parkinson will know how tough it can be.
How to utilise his all-round talents
Stokes made an impact on the game as captain and as a batsman, but as a bowler he took on the role of enforcer, banging it in halfway down the pitch in a bid to bounce the batsmen into a mistake. Having injured his side doing the same thing in Australia, it is a high risk strategy that may bring more risk than reward.
