After securing a win inside three days in a howling gale, the series victory against New Zealand also claimed with a Test match to spare, Ben Stokes was himself blown away. “Quite phenomenal,” was the England captain’s reaction to the 323-run scoreline, not least after losing four wickets on the first morning of the match.
What followed from Stokes was a deluge of praise for his players, including Harry Brook for a game-changing 123 in the first innings and Gus Atkinson for continuing a remarkable first year of Test cricket with a hat-trick. But Stokes was also happy to give himself and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, a pat on the back for thrusting young Jacob Bethell into the No 3 spot and watching him flourish.
