‘It was the right decision’: Ben Stokes defends follow-on call after Test defeat

Ben Stokes was unrepentant after England’s historic, nail-biting one-run defeat to New Zealand in Wellington, insisting he had no regrets about the follow-on and stating he will plough on to the Indian Premier League despite a longstanding knee injury.

The all-rounder became only the fourth Test captain after the Australians John Blackham (1894), Kim Hughes (1981) and Steve Waugh (2001) to stick his opponents back in after their first innings and end up on the losing side. England, set 258 to win, were bowled out for 256 on the final day to see the series drawn at one apiece.

A Kane Williamson masterclass turned the tables in the third innings before Neil Wagner completed figures of four for 62 by removing England’s No 11, Jimmy Anderson. Stokes, having begun his captaincy last year with the stated aim of making Test cricket entertaining, was philosophical.

“Even though we came out on the wrong side of it, you can’t help but feel blessed that we’ve managed to be a part of that incredible game,” said Stokes, he and head coach Brendon McCullum having suffered just their second defeat as a leadership duo.

On the follow-on, enforced with a 226-run lead, Stokes added: “I knew that New Zealand would have to play pretty much the perfect game to win this game.

“The conditions we found ourselves in on that day, it was overcast, the wicket was doing plenty. The way we ran through the New Zealand top order in the previous three innings, I thought it was the right decision.”

Stokes has himself become a point of discussion ahead to the summer’s Ashes series, having laboured through this second Test with the knee injury that continues to limit him. He bowled just two overs in the match – and only nine in the series – and was visibly