Ben Stokes reckons homecoming success for him and Brendon McCullum will arrive thanks to an England team stocked full of the right attitude.
The talent and ability is without question, with McCullum admitting recently he was in awe of the skills his players possess. It is whether or not those players can take an ambitious attitude into the game and bring out their best quality when it matters most on the field.
And so far the evidence of Stokes’ time in charge is compelling with nine wins out of ten and a brand of cricket that has been impossible not to like. More of the same would be just what he is looking for.
“Attitude and approach is the best way to describe it,” he said. “The batting group have got a huge understanding of what they can do now because we’ve let them be free. It’s almost like they get themselves in first and second gear and then all of a sudden they’ll go up to fifth because they see that as an opportunity to pounce and really put teams back under pressure.
“We know that we can be dominant, but we also know that when we are behind in a game we can turn it around quickly. It goes back to the point about attitude. We have made it very simple; knowing we are going to have to absorb pressure, but jumping at the opportunity when we feel like it is the right time.”
With two proud Kiwi-born men at the helm of England’s Test revolution, it is easy to see why continued success in this two match series might have extra significance.
But as much as the occasion, captaining England for the first time in New Zealand in front of his mum and Kiwi family in Mount Manganui, will fill Stokes with pride, it is the pride he has in his players and their success that satisfies him most.
“I’m at a stage now where I would much prefer to leave a mark on other people’s career than look to make mine more established,” he added. “I’ve played a lot of cricket and done some great things with some great teams over the years. Being captain, I’ve got a real desire to make the best out of the team I’ve got here and players who will come in in the future.
“That’s one of my goals as England captain: to hopefully let some of these guys in the dressing room here just have an amazing career. If I can influence that in any way shape or form, then I’ll be happy.”
Unsurprisingly England stick with the same top seven that finished the 3-0 job off in Pakistan with Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed the two changes, replaced by James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Broad returns after missing the Pakistan tour for the birth of his first daughter, while Anderson sat out the final game having secured the series win in the first two.
It has been 15 years since the two most successful bowlers in English Test history were recalled together in New Zealand as a changing of the bowling guard. Now in the twilight of their careers, they can reflect on a job well done since then, while still operating at an incredibly high level.
Stokes’ leadership is even having an impact on the veterans, and he should be just as proud of that.
Probable teams
New Zealand: Latham, Conway, Williamson, Nicholls, Mitchell, Blundell (wk), Bracewell, Southee (c), Kuggelijn, Wagner, Tickner
England: Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Robinson, Broad, Leach, Anderson
