ENG v NZ 2022: England's Ben Stokes wants players to feel free under his captaincy

Ben Stokes was named Test captain of England, replacing Joe Root.

New England Test captain Ben Stokes said that he wanted all his team members to "feel free" under his leadership, as he prepares for his maiden outing against New Zealand in the first of the three-match series which begins at Lord's from June 2. 

The star all-rounder has taken over the captaincy from Joe Root, with England winning only one of their last 17 Test matches. He will form a new leadership combination with newly appointed head coach for the Test side, Brendon McCullum.

Stokes told reporters on Wednesday: "There's been a lot of talk about a 'reset', which is a word I don't like. "I just see it as a completely blank canvas. I just want everyone to feel free under my captaincy. This is our time and we are going to dictate how things go forward. Everyone is starting fresh."

James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the two most successful English bowlers of all time, with a combined total of 1,177 wickets to their name, are back in England playing XI for the Lord's Test.

They were controversially excluded from the England team for their Test tour of West Indies, which they lost 1-0.

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Pacer Matthew Potts, a county colleague of Stokes has been given a chance to debut for the team. Potts was included in the squad as a result of the lack of availability of fast bowlers like Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, and Jofra Archer, who remain out of the team owing to injuries.

The 23-year-old seamer has been selected based on his recent performance, having scalped 35 wickets for Durham in his first six matches at the County Championship.

Talking about Potts, Stokes said: "He's been outstanding in the games I've played. It's not been all plain sailing for bowlers and he's created things out of nowhere. The thing that made my mind up about Pottsy was when he bowled us to victory against Glamorgan.

"He turned up with a bit of a stiff side, with Test selection coming he could have just sat back and said 'I'm going to look after myself' but he didn't. He ran in and won the game for us. That's the attitude that opens your eyes. This kid is an athlete and everything I expect this team to be about going forward."

England cleared some doubts regarding their side for the opening Test against New Zealand, as they indicated Jonny Bairstow would bat at number five, with Ollie Pope selected for number three.

(AFP inputs)