Ben Stokes will set his team free at the start of his reign as England Test captain after addressing the scars of the past.
A bruising and difficult winter in Australia and West Indies will have left a mark on several players, but Stokes is determined to wipe the slate clean and remind them it is OK to fail. There will be no hairdryer treatment nor smashing of tea cups if New Zealand get off to a flyer at Lord’s and England are three down in the first hour.
Instead he has promised the first group of players who will follow him out on to the Lord’s turf this week that they have his support for the long term.
