Stokes terms World Test Championship "utterly confusing", says England does not think about it

England Test Captain Ben Stokes said on Thursday that the England team does not specifically think about the ICC World Test Championship while playing, terming the tournament as "utterly confusing", reported Wisden. The skipper's comments came ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand of the Thorpe-Crowe Trophy. In the WTC 2023-25 race, England is ranked sixth, while Kiwis are placed two spots above at fourth. England finished fourth in the previous WTC cycle, and this time around as well, they have crashed out of contention for a title clash appearance at Lord's.

Stokes says that his team believes in taking things "game by game, series by series", which does not align with the long-term nature of the WTC, with each cycle spread across three years.

"In all honesty, the World Test Championship is a bit confusing; it is one of those where, you know, we do not really look at it, I do not look at it. It is one of those where, over a long period of time, if you are playing really good cricket and you are getting results that you want, you will end up finding yourself there in the final and in the mix," said Stokes as quoted by Wisden.

"For me and this team, it is about taking it game by game, series by series, and if you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in that world test championship final, then it is great, but it is a real weird one knowing that you are playing for something over a long period of time."

"I cannot remember if I have ever even given any real time to be specifically thinking about the World Test Championship to be honest because it is utterly confusing, we play a lot more cricket than anyone else does, that is just what we try and focus on, you know, if we play well, we will be there or thereabouts, but if we do not, then we would not be," he concluded.

Under Stokes, England has played 29 Tests, winning 17, losing 11, and drawing just one. The attacking, result-orientated, and positive approach to cricket under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum has divided fans and critics alike, but Stokes has the second-highest win percentage among all post-war England Test captains who have led in at least five Tests. His overall figures have been ruined by some poor tours in Asia, a 1-4 series loss to England and a 1-2 loss to Pakistan as well away from home. England won the toss and elected to field first. Kiwis have crossed the 200-run mark in their first innings.

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (w), Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and William ORourke

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope (w), Ben Stokes (c), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir. (ANI)