Ben Stokes has named an unchanged England team for the second Test against New Zealand that starts on Thursday, with his seam attack “licking their lips” at the sight of the Basin Reserve’s emerald green pitch.
The only doubt going into the match was whether Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson would all recover from the stiffness that followed last week’s 267-run win at Bay Oval, with Stokes minded to play his strongest XI at all times these days.
