ENG vs NZ: It Felt Almost Like Joe Was 18 Again- Ben Stokes Said Of His Teammate's Match-Winning Century At Lord's

Ben Stokes, England’s Test skipper, is delighted to see Joe Root enjoying his cricket now that the leadership burden has been lifted from his shoulders. Root’s successor, the all-rounder, claimed it seemed like the right-handed batsman had reached the age of 18 all over again.

Root’s 26th-century score at Lord’s in the first Test against New Zealand was crucial in England’s 1-0 victory. The 31-year-old also made history by becoming the second England batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs.

Stokes stated he was involved in Root’s experience and had some chats about his leadership issues over certain tours when speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the second Test, which begins on Friday. Root, 30, claims that even without the additional responsibilities, he has aged substantially.

“I shared the entire journey with Joe, particularly in the last two years. On tours away from home, we had a few personal conversations about that. Joe almost felt like he was 18 again now, without the added strain of being skipper. I’m sure he’ll be cutting away people’s stockings again before long.”

‘No team really seems to get too far ahead of the other’: Ben Stokes

Stokes also stated that, despite beating New Zealand in the first Test, he understands that they face a battle this week and can’t get it done of themselves. The 30-year-old continued, “In this regard, the 30-year-old added:

“It’s fantastic to come in here with the expectation of winning the opening game of the season, but we have to put that aside this week because it’s a new game. We know it’s never an easy ride when we play New Zealand; the game always seems to come down to the wire. No team really seems to get too far ahead of the other. We know we’re in for another difficult week against them” Ben Stokes Added.

The second Test will be held from June 10 to 14 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

England’s playing XI for Nottingham Test: Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

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