CHOKED UP STOKES
Man-of-the-match Ben admits he was emotional and says: I now understand it’s such a privilege to play for England
BEN STOKES admits he was overcome with emotion after he produced a brilliant man-ofthe-match display.
He inspired England to a series-levelling victory in the second ODI against New Zealand.
It was the allrounder’s second game for his country following a five-month absence that saw him miss the Ashes tour earlier this winter following his suspension by the ECB.
But fears his on-field performances might be affected by those off-field troubles were blown away as he took two wickets, played a part in two run outs and then struck an unbeaten 63 to help England chase down 224 with 73 balls and six wickets to spare at the Bay Oval.
With this five-match series now level at 1-1 ahead of Saturday’s third match in Wellington, England will fancy their chances of winning it, especially with Stokes in this kind of form. “I was quite emotional walking off at the end,” said the Durham man. “It made me understand how much of a privilege it is to represent your country. “It was a different feeling to what it is normally, but it was a great feeling to be walking off there. “I have been working hard at home making sure that when the opportunity came again to represent England I wasn’t going to let anyone down. “There was relief, happiness and obviously it’s been a long time. Hopefully now this is a stepping stone on the road to trying to keep on helping England win games.
“We have got a massive summer ahead and then the World Cup coming up next year as well, so hopefully this is just the start of it.”
Being forced to watch the Ashes from afar as England were taken apart 4-0 by Australia was particularly hard for Stokes.
Yet he is determined not to dwell on the past.
“I have been following all the cricket that the lads have been playing but what I have to do now is focus on going forward,” he said.
“It was obviously frustrating to watch the Ashes. I went through all the emotions as I would have done playing but there’s not a lot I can change about that now.
“This win was very satisfying for me, I want to contribute every time I play for England, ” added Stokes.
England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan (left) also contributed with 62 during a one-sided win for his side.
New Zealand, missing injured captain Kane Williamson, were never in the game after slipping to 82-5 and then 147-8 in their innings.
The tourists were brilliant in the field as they took a series of stunning catches and engineered four run outs, including two by Stokes and a superb effort by David Willey.