England v New Zealand: Ben Stokes lavishes praise on Ben Foakes & More News Here

GEORGE DOBELL AT LORD’S: The England Test captain hails Foakes’ efficiency behind the stumps and as Joe Root’s associate within the profitable chase to beat New Zealand by 5 wickets

Ben Stokes has hailed Ben Foakes because the “best wicket-keeper in the world” after he performed a key position in England’s first Test victory.

Foakes went into England’s second innings underneath a bit of little bit of stress. He had did not cross 42 in his 12 most up-to-date Test innings and had failed to succeed in double-figures on seven events. With Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler amongst these vying for the gloves, he wanted a efficiency.

More importantly, his facet wanted a efficiency. When he got here into bat in England’s second innings, they nonetheless required 118 extra runs and solely a fragile-looking tail remained after him.

But, having are available on the third night with England underneath stress, he batted for greater than two hours in serving to Joe Root knock off the runs, ending unbeaten on 32 after an impressively nerveless innings. That adopted a sometimes polished show with the gloves that his captain prompt had made tough possibilities look easy.

^{Foakes was additionally imperious behind the stumps, including 5 dismissals to his important fourth-innings knock (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

“Ben is the best wicket-keeper in the world,” Stokes stated afterwards. “That’s not simply my very own opinion, that is lots of people’s opinions. And we’re not able to not choose world-class gamers in the intervening time

“Batting at No.7, which he does for England, is totally different to the position that he performs for Surrey as a result of he bats increased up.

“But that state of affairs, entering into final night time with about an hour left, was a really, very massive a part of the sport and he dealt with it very, very properly. Joe walks off with all of the plaudits, however Foakesy has to take a variety of credit score for the way in which he dealt with that stress.

“Him strolling off there not out with Joe on the finish little question will give him a variety of confidence going into the remainder of the summer season. And the way in which that he saved, he took some catches which he made look very simple however they weren’t.

“As emotional as it was for him, it was fantastic for me to see a very close friend walk off after leading England to victory. It was a great day”

“To have a gloveman like Ben behind the stumps provides me a variety of confidence and it provides the bowlers a variety of confidence.

“Ben’s only going to get better with the more confidence that he gets and he’s the best keeper in the world so it’s great to have him behind the stumps.”

Stokes additionally expressed nice pleasure within the efficiency of Root, who scored a match-winning century in his first recreation since standing down from the captaincy.

“There is never any doubt Joe stepping up on the big occasions,” Stokes stated. “To see him stroll off there, main the group to victory, seeing the emotion of pure pleasure and happiness to win a recreation for England in his first match after stepping down as captain was superb.

Root and Stokes’ 90-run stand broke the again of the chase (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“We are very close. We’re not just work colleagues together. As emotional as it was for him, it was fantastic for me to see a very close friend walk off after leading England to victory. It was a great day.”

Stokes did admit, nevertheless, that he had loved “a huge piece of luck.” In England’s second innings, he thought he had been dismissed for one, solely to be reprieved when it transpired the bowler, Colin de Grandhomme, had overstepped.

As Stokes prompt, it is hardly the primary time he had loved a slice of fortune at Lord’s in opposition to New Zealand. 

“No matter what my wife gets me from a birthday, it probably won’t be as good as that,” he stated. “It was obviously a huge bit of luck. I was very, very fortunate because I don’t think Colin oversteps the mark that often. But at Lord’s, drama just seems to follow me around.”

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