England captain Ben Stokes expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance after a solid 115-run win in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s Cricket Ground. This victory marked a positive turnaround for the team, following their disappointing 4-1 defeat to Australia in the Ashes series.
Stokes recognized the significance of the match against New Zealand and the need for a win to avoid further negative coverage since the Ashes loss. He emphasized celebrating this victory with his teammates before the second Test at the Oval.
“I’m very happy we’ve won this week. I understood the importance of this game and how it might be viewed if we didn’t succeed. Thankfully, it went well, but I won’t fully enjoy it until I celebrate with the boys,” Stokes said, as reported by Sky Sports.
Even with the win, Stokes urged England to maintain their momentum for the upcoming summer. The team has five more Tests to play at home, including two more against New Zealand and a three-match series against Pakistan in August.
“It’s easy to become complacent. Winning the first game is great, but we have five more to go. We’ve got two more matches against New Zealand, who are a strong side. We still have a long way to go,” he added.
Although leading England to victory at Lord’s, Stokes had a challenging game himself, scoring just 12 runs in two innings, including a duck in the second. He did take one key wicket, dismissing Devon Conway, which contributed to the team’s success.