New Zealand v England: Ben Stokes says he will be fit for Wellington Test
The visitors were inspired by Stokes’ Durham teammate Brendan Cass, whose 10-106 was the first time an England seamer has taken 10 wickets in overseas Tests since 2008 .
Earlier this year, Casse was banned for three months for historical betting violations and sought advice from Stokes.
When asked about the support he has received, Carles responded: “It’s been amazing. He’s been there in person and on the phone for the last four or five months. I can’t thank him enough.”
“He knows how valuable I am to him as a player,” Stokes said. “I think when I ask him to take one more pitch, it probably makes him work a little harder every now and then.”
“Given where he was six months ago, it’s a testament to his character that he’s in the position he’s in now.
“You can see why we rate him so highly, he can go through something like this and come away with 10 wickets in a Test match.”
After Carse’s wicket set England’s target at 104 balls, 21-year-old debutant Jacob Bethell scored 37, including the winning run, in his half The first work in a century.
Besser batted at third in this match for the first time in his first-class career.
He scored 10 runs in the first innings but didn’t look out of place compared to some of New Zealand’s senior bowling.
Stokes said: “The knock in the second innings was very special.
“He didn’t get the runs he wanted in the first innings, but he held his own throughout the batting… If he keeps that attitude, he’ll go a long way.”
Besser takes the place of regular No. 3 Ollie Pope, who slipped to No. 6 as he kept wickets following an injury to Jordan Cox. Pope scored 77 and played a beautiful game behind the stumps.
Durham’s Ollie Robinson has joined the England squad as another retained option.
Asked whether Pope would keep his glove for the remainder of the series, Stokes said: “We found ourselves with a problem and we solved it.
“That’s the squad for this game and we’ll see in Wellington.”
