Ben Stokes described himself as a “blessed” England captain as he looked to shift credit on to the players who are responding to his methods and surpassing expectations.
The tourists will head into this week’s second Test against New Zealand in Wellington with a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after another commanding performance under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
The 267-run victory in Mount Maunganui, sealed by the enduring class of Jimmy Anderson on the fourth day, was a sixth straight win under Stokes – a run England last achieved in 2010 when Andrew Strauss was leading a march to the top of the Test rankings.
Asked about his own role in this upturn in fortunes and if it augured well for the summer’s Ashes series, Stokes replied: “I just thought that when I took over that it would be a good opportunity for slightly bigger change as to the way that the team thinks.
“I am pretty blessed to be in charge of this bowling group at the moment. But I’ve also got a seriously skilled and very brave batting lineup to watch. They’ve got to take a lot of credit for the sort of record I have as a captain.
“It’s probably going to end up in a selection nightmare at some point. It’s great to have so many world-class players to choose from. I don’t like to look too far ahead, but we’ll have a good crop of players to choose from in the Ashes.”
Tim Southee, his opposite number, insisted there was not a “gulf” between the sides and, though his attack struggled to match England with the pink Kookaburra ball, welcomed the chance to play a traditional daytime Test match to end the series.
The Black Caps lost Kyle Jamieson to a recurrence of his lower back stress fracture in the buildup and opted against asking Trent Boult, now a Twenty20 freelancer, if he would return.
A change is likely, however, with the experienced seamer Matt Henry set to return after the birth of his first child last week.
