England seam attack ‘licking their lips’ ahead of second Test against New Zealand

Ben Stokes has named an unchanged England team for the second Test against New Zealand that starts on Friday, with his seam attack “licking their lips” at the sight of the Basin Reserve’s emerald green pitch.

The only doubt going into the match was whether Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson would all recover from the stiffness that followed last week’s 267-run win at Bay Oval, with Stokes minded to play his strongest XI at all times these days.

But the England captain confirmed the trio have all declared their readiness to back up the performance in Wellington, even if he issued a reminder that the grass on the surface in New Zealand does not necessarily mean a seamers’ paradise will follow.

“It looks like the lines for the wicket have been painted on the outfield,” said Stokes, targeting his seventh straight win as Test captain and what would be an 11th in 12 since taking the job full time. “But I think that’s generally how the wickets do look here at the Basin. You can’t read too much into it. The ball can nip around but it can also be incredibly flat. The pace of the wicket can be a huge advantage to the batters.

“[But] I’m not going to lie, the bowlers were licking their lips. They might have been stiff yesterday, but after they looked at the pitch they felt a little bit looser. They are all looking forward to bowling this week.”

Stokes gave an emphatic “no” when asked if Anderson had a smile on his face after replacing Australia’s Pat Cummins at the top of the Test bowling rankings overnight, with the often grumpy 40-year-old “not fussed” by confirmation of what his captain has long since believed to be the case anyway.

“Rightfully so, he’s back at the top,” said Stokes. “I know sometimes those rankings