Mark Wood says that England cannot view Ben Stokes as a “messiah”. With Stokes out with a hip injury, England’s title defense got off to a disastrous start on Thursday when they lost to New Zealand by nine wickets in the tournament opener.
Ben Stokes, the test captain of England, is renowned for his ability to save his country in all three of the major competitions, most notably during the team’s dramatic World Cup final victory over New Zealand at Lord’s.
Fast bowler Mark Wood, however, stated that other team members needed to “stand up”. Wood told the BBC, “I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. He is not the Superman. It’s not only about Stokesy returning and performing all the miracles.
He’s undoubtedly one of our top players, if not the best player we have, but all the guys need to be on their toes.
Because of a chronic knee issue, Ben Stokes is just playing as a batsman in India instead of all-around.
On Thursday, New Zealand easily chased down a target of 283 in 37 overs, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra both posting outstanding unbroken hundreds. Wood was one of several England bowlers who suffered.
“New Zealand played really well,” express fast Wood remarked after his five overs resulted in 55 runs. “They played really well, and we were a little off.” That’s all there is to it.
However, England lost three group games in 2019 before winning the championship; they face Bangladesh on Tuesday.
“That kind of resilience and bouncing back and calmness is a great trait of the group,” added Wood. “I believe in every member of the group; they have experienced both good and horrible situations. We are confident in our abilities.
