Stokes has "daft" outlook on England's one-run Test defeat to New Zealand

28 February 2023 , 10:30

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England drew 1-1 with New Zealand in an enthralling Test series (Image: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Captain Ben Stokes says England should be grateful to have been involved in such a "crazy" and "amazing" Test match, despite falling short and losing to New Zealand by just one run.

It is only the second time a Test has ever been won by that margin, with Australia losing to the West Indies by a solitary run in 1993, and only the fourth time a team has lost after enforcing the follow on.

Despite losing the match and drawing the series, Stokes was mindful of the bigger picture as both he and coach Brendon McCullum have spoken openly about wanting to try and get more fans interested in Test cricket by making it more exciting.

And while he admitted it "might sound daft", Stokes said: "That is what you play Test cricket for, to be in those moments. To be a part of that was amazing.

"What a game, it was crazy. If you can't look back at that Test match, even in our dressing room on the losing side, and just be quite thankful that you've been involved in a game like that…when can you?

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"Test matches like that don't happen that often, they don't come around that often. You have to lose games to really appreciate how good it is to actually win.

"And, if you are going to lose games, you'd like to be involved in a game like that instead of losing by 200 runs or whatever. It might sound daft because you've gone so close, but I just think everyone is appreciating this week for what it is.

"That doesn't mean for a second we're not fussed about winning or losing. We love winning, but if it doesn't work out that way, we'll hold our hands up and say the opposition were better than us."

McCullum echoed Stokes' comments, stating that England want to "entertain people around the world" and that "there were still smiles on faces" because they had achieved that goal despite coming up short.

England coach Brendon McCullum echoed Stokes' comments (MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images)

"It would have been nice to win the Test and the series," he said. "But right at the start of this campaign we said we wanted to entertain and bring fans into the game, to bring more relevance to Test cricket, and even on the wrong side of it, I thought we did that today.

"Credit to New Zealand, they were epic in defence of that total but we played our part. Whether we win or lose, I know we will get judged on that, but what we're trying to do is play a style of cricket and try to entertain people around the world.

"When it gets as tense as it got, it's a little in the laps of the gods and it wasn't meant to be for us. Even after we lost, walking into the dressing room there were still smiles on faces because we kind of achieved a small part of what it's about – to make Test cricket exciting. But obviously it's still disappointing to lose."

Matthew Cooper