England in New Zealand: Ben Stokes' side have become serial winners
- Published
For a team that doesn't focus on winning, England have done a good job of turning victory into a habit.
When they were desperate for a win, they couldn't beg, borrow or steal one. Now they place less importance on results, they have more wins than they know what to do with.
The latest, an impressive 267-run defeat of New Zealand in Mount Maunganui is England's 10th in 11 matches and sixth in a row. Not since Andrew Strauss' class of 2010 were on the way to winning in Australia and reaching the top of the world rankings have an England team gone on a similar run.
What stood out at the Bay Oval was the way England recorded such a big victory - their first in this country for 15 years - without always being at their best.
There were times in each batting innings when they let New Zealand in with soft dismissals. England got slightly frazzled when Tom Blundell and Blair Tickner were adding 59 for the last wicket in the Kiwis' first innings. Zak Crawley dropped two catches at second slip, albeit in the tough night-time conditions.
Yet England had the win, their first in a day-night Test away from home, wrapped up inside the first session on the fourth day. If Tickner had not hung around again on Sunday afternoon, there would have been less than an hour's play.
At the centre of it all is Ben Stokes. The England captain is a born winner whose force of will seems to make everything go his way. He has moulded this team in his image, so that England's style of play is enough to brush off the opposition, even if their performance sometimes dips.
Stokes admitted he would have matched New Zealand's decision to bowl first but, after England were asked to bat, the tempo of their run-scoring mapped out the course of the game.
Much was made of Stokes' decision to declare at 325-9 on the first evening. Yes, it was remarkable because it came after only 58.2 overs, the second-earliest in the first innings of a Test in history, but in reality Stokes knew it was simple cricketing logic to want to bowl under lights rather than watch your tailenders try to eke out a few extra runs.
It set New Zealand on a path to starting both of their innings under lights, on days one and three, while England only had to bat in twilight once. Whereas England managed 79-2, New Zealand's combined effort was 100-8. It is where the game was won and lost.
If the declaration was one call the captain got right, there were countless other plans and schemes that came to fruition as Stokes again showed himself to be the ultimate problem-solver.
A marginal lbw review that saw the end of Kane Williamson, Stokes himself bowling bouncers to trap Devon Conway, keeping the field up to entice Michael Bracewell into miscuing Jack Leach.
When he's not trying, Stokes makes good decisions. At one stage on Saturday Stokes was waiting to bat but had to go where no-one else can go for him. A wicket fell, meaning Ben Foakes had to be promoted up the order.
It transpired that Foakes would make a crucial 51, guiding England from a potentially precarious position. Stokes had even timed his trip to the loo correctly.
Stokes is succeeding by making the players in his team better cricketers. Not necessarily by improving their skill level, but by giving them freedom and confidence.
It is a remarkable quirk that in the 36 Tests when all of Stokes, Root, Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Stuart Broad - five bona fide all-time greats - played together, England lost more than they won.
Now, Stokes is coaxing the best out of Foakes, Leach, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, the latter a newcomer to Test cricket but seemingly on track to be a superstar.
Harry Brook has been named player of the match in three of his five Tests
There is power to add, too. Jonny Bairstow remains sidelined with a broken leg. Jofra Archer is feeling his way back to full fitness. Mark Wood has been rested for this tour. Stokes has said he will have a "selection nightmare" when all players are available.
Areas of improvement can be found in the current XI too.
Crawley remains an enigma at the top of the order, a player whose off-drives should be protected by the National Trust but who also offers more edges than a broken glass.
He had a torrid time on the first morning, effectively out three times in 14 balls, and shelled those two catches. To Crawley's credit, the 28 he made in tough conditions on the second evening set the tone for England's second innings.
Root, out twice playing reverse strokes, is now seven Tests without a hundred and appears to be slightly struggling with the tempo of England's ultra-aggressive style. At his best, Root rattles the scoreboard along and will surely have another big innings before long.
And perhaps the last problem to solve for Stokes the captain is how to get the absolute best out of Stokes the player. The skipper has gone five Tests without a half-century and is too good a batter to let that run continue much longer.
All of this paints a daunting prospect for England's opponents. They are winning without being at their best, have star players on the sidelines and can still find room for improvement.
"That's the great thing about it - no-one is happy with where we're at at the moment," said Stokes. "We're always looking for little things here and there.
"Results aren't at the forefront of our mind at the moment. It's all about the process. If we play well, we're going to win. If we don't we're probably not going to give ourselves a chance of winning. It's as simple as that."
As England celebrated into the evening at the Bay Oval, Australia's second-Test struggle against India was played on the big screen. England weren't paying much attention, but it was a neat reminder of what is on the horizon - a home Ashes, five Tests in India next winter.
Whether England are thinking about those two looming challenges is up for debate. They say they aren't, but human nature would surely see them creep into the back of the mind.
Either way, the rest of the world should be thinking about England. This team might only just be getting started.
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