Ben Stokes has no fitness concerns, and the skipper was named by England in their unchanged eleven for the second Test against New Zealand.
Stokes had an injury scare during the last day of the first Test, which England won by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The England skipper pulled up while bowling, which required Gus Atkinson to finish the over.
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While Stokes remained on the field, he complained of “a bit of stiffness” in his back, possibly from his dive while attempting to take a catch.
The series is part of the World Test Championship’s 2023-25 cycle, but both New Zealand and England are virtually out of the race to qualify for the final, scheduled for June next year at Lord’s.
Both the teams were penalised three WTC points, whilst their players received fines amounting to 15% of their match fees for slow over-rates during the first Test in Christchurch.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (c), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir
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