For those who prefer their international cricket played with a red ball rather than white, the past six weeks have required a great deal of patience. Ben Stokes has been among them, England’s Test captain itching to rekindle the magic that lit up the first half of the summer through those four rip-roaring victories against New Zealand and India.
To that end Stokes held a team meeting on Sunday when his players reconvened before the first Test against South Africa which starts on Wednesday; a refresher course intended to reaffirm the positive ethos that himself and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, are demanding.
