KEEP PUTTING THE BOOT IN

Stokes urges his team to go on the attack... just like Eoin’s one-day side

BEN STOKES has asked his team to double down on their aggressive approach as they go in search of a first series win in six attempts.

And he is hopeful the positive mantra that has long been used by Eoin Morgan in the one-day international set-up is one that can work just as well in the Test side.

A five-wicket win at Lord’s gave England a rare taste of victory after a difficult year, but the challenge is to back it up with an even better performance in the knowledge that New Zealand will be a tougher proposition thanks to the run out. And Stokes has left his team in no doubt at what he expects, which is for the batsmen and bowlers to be even more positive in their outlook at Trent Bridge.

“Winning the series first time out would obviously be good,” said Stokes. “But it’s going to be a long road with the way that we’ve changed our mindset and the way that we want to play the game.

“The message from me to everyone is to just look to be even more positive than we were last week because if you look at the result, yes we ended up winning, but we don’t want to be comfortable with where we are. Let’s always look to try and be better.

“And something that I learned in the way that Morgs captained the one-day team is that he was just always looking to be more positive in defeat or in victory.

“It’s just about not being comfortable and then doing the same things over again, because if it doesn’t work, then you are left wondering ‘Oh, what do we do now’?”

Stokes has backed the same 11 players to get the job done again in Nottingham with Stuart Broad and James Anderson leading the attack on a ground they have done so well. With no Test scheduled here next summer, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether it might be Broad’s last five-day outing on his home ground. But just like the player himself a few days ago, Stokes is not entertaining the idea that Broad might be running out of gas. In fact he was lifted by the way he managed to fire up the team and the crowd at Lord’s.

“Those are your words, not mine,” said Stokes when asked about Broad’s possible Trent Bridge farewell.

“He’s had amazing spells. amazing overs where he’s completely changed the game. And last week was another one of those.

“I’ve seen him do it before where he gets the crowd going. Lord’s is generally not renowned for that kind of stuff. So it was great to get everybody going.

“If that happened here, Trent Bridge would have been rocking for about 45 minutes.”