Chris Woakes says Ben Stokes’ record-breaking 182 gave England a timely reminder of what they can achieve with his “superhuman” skills.
Stokes was in rampant form against New Zealand on Wednesday, making the country’s highest ever ODI score in just his third innings since reversing his year-long retirement from the format.
With England’s World Cup defence less than three weeks away it was a perfect way for the man who carried them to victory in the 2019 final to prove his sense of occasion once again.
Stokes has nothing left to prove on the big stage but watching him bully England’s first World Cup opponents with nine sixes and 15 fours sent a wave of energy through the dressing room.
England went on to wrap up victory by a huge margin of 181 runs, another reminder that when he is in the side, the whole team walks a little taller.
“We obviously see Ben as this superhuman that can do incredible things. We know he can,” said Woakes, who picked up the baton with three early wickets in the field.
“It was great for the group and brilliant for Ben too. He’s an unbelievable cricketer but coming back into the team having retired, it will do his confidence a world of good.
“We always have doubts and performance anxieties at the best of times, so it’s great for his confidence and great for the team’s confidence and belief that we can post huge scores.
“It was amazing to be here and play in the game because that was an incredible knock.
“He struck it cleaner than anyone else out there. It just shows how good a player he is.”
Since walking away from 50-over cricket last summer citing workload issues, Stokes has poured his energies into his role as Test captain.
Working closely with head coach Brendon McCullum, he has revitalised the red-ball set-up, flipping their fortunes in dramatic fashion and playing out a thrilling drawn Ashes series that gripped the nation.
Woakes feels that stepping back into the ranks under Jos Buttler’s leadership, and operating as a specialist batter rather than all-action all-rounder, is a good thing for Stokes.
“I think him coming back into this team is probably a refreshing feeling for him, without the captaincy on his shoulders. To run the England Test team is a tough job,” he said.
“He’s probably seen this as a breath of fresh air, to play his natural game and be his natural person, which he always does.
“This group of players who have been around this team for a long time, always feel comfortable when we come back together.”
England’s World Cup squad has one more game together before departing for India, wrapping up their clash with the Black Caps at Lord’s on Friday.
There is hope that Jason Roy and Mark Wood will be fit for selection, with both sidelined for each of the last three matches. Roy has been laid low twice by back spasms and Wood has been kept in cotton well since ending the Ashes with a heel problem.
Roy, in particular, will be eager to feel bat on ball. Dawid Malan made 96 at opener on Wednesday to position himself as a viable alternative and Harry Brook continues to linger as a possible replacement should Roy’s fitness continue to raise questions.
“I think he’s hopeful. This close to a World Cup it’s a bit of a risk to throw him into a game when you’re unsure as to how he’s going to go,” said Woakes.
“Fingers crossed he’s alright. I’m sure he’s desperate to get out there and I’m sure he’s frustrated as well.
“Pre-World Cup you want to get a bit of form behind you and play as many games as possible but he’s a resilient character; the lads have got around him and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.
Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.
Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.
Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.
Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.
"Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].
"We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.
"You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.
"We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."
West Indies grab three late wickets on day one as third Test against England in the balance
England lost three wickets in a dramatic end to day one of the third Test against West Indies, leaving them in a precarious position after restricting the tourists for 282.
Gus Atkinson finished with figures of 4-67, while Chris Woakes took 3-69 for England, as only a fine sixth-wicket stand from Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva saved West Indies from being bowled out for a much lower total.
But England, chasing a 3-0 series whitewash, let their dominant position slip when taking up the bat for the final 35 minutes, Zak Crawley (18), Ben Duckett (3) and Mark Wood (0) being dispatched as bowler Jayden Seales dropped them to 38-3.
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, leading his side to a solid start before a spell of three wickets in five overs before lunch put England on top.
Atkinson accounted for Mikyle Louis (26) and Alick Athanaze (2) on either side of Wood sending stumps flying with a full delivery to dismiss Kirk McKenize for 12.
Brathwaite's knock of 61 was brought to a halt shortly after the action resumed, the captain gloving Wood's leg-side ball to Jamie Smith as the tourists slid from 76-0 to 115-5 in 45 balls.
Holder (59) and Da Silva (49) then shared 108 to drag the Windies towards a respectable total, but things looked bleak for them when the latter feathered Woakes' ball through to Smith.
Having gone 30 overs without a wicket, England needed just 14 more to polish off the tail, the highlight being a terrific diving catch from Joe Root to send Gudakesh Motie (8) packing.
England were given just over half an hour with the bat to cap Friday's action, but any hopes of a serene finish were soon dashed.
Holder made two terrific catches off Seales' bowling, the first from Crawley's thick outside edge and the second to dismiss Wood for a duck, either side of Alzarri Joseph's cracking delivery accounting for Duckett.
That spell ensured what had been a good day for the hosts ended on a sour note, with the Windies sure to target quick wickets when the action resumes on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Atkinson and Seales dominate
This series began with all the focus on James Anderson as England's greatest-ever bowler bowed out at Lord's, but Atkinson has taken centre-stage since making his Test debut in the opening match and now has 20 wickets through five innings.
That is eight more than West Indies' Jayden Seales, the next-most prolific bowler in this series, has managed.
Seales was determined to have an impact on day one, though, and his two wickets at the death have set the stage for a far more competitive match than those England won at Lord's and Trent Bridge.
McAllister cannot see Klopp or Guardiola succeeding Southgate
Gary McAllister finds it hard to believe that either Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola will succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager.
Southgate, who led England to back-to-back European Championship finals, ended his eight-year tenure following their defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 showpiece.
The 53-year-old was often accused of a cautious approach despite only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) overseeing more England goals than his 213, with supporters wanting to see a more attack-minded manager take over.
And two of the names linked with the vacant position have been pioneers of Premier League football in recent years.
Klopp ended his nine-year stay at Liverpool in May to take a break from management, while some expect Guardiola to leave Manchester City at the end of his current deal, which expires next year.
The pair have won 653 games between them and shared 25 major honours during their time in England and could be seen as the ideal candidates to end the Three Lions' 58-year wait for silverware.
However, former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder McAllister believes Klopp and Guardiola are unlikely to become England's next manager.
McAllister, who played 57 times for his nation, believes supporters would prefer an English manager at the helm.
"I think people are linking Jurgen with the England job purely because he has experience working in the English Premier League," McAllister told Stats Perform.
"He's worked with elite players for many years now at Dortmund and at Liverpool. So people are putting two and two together.
"Personally, I don't see it happening and I think I also see that there were links to Pep Guardiola and I don't see Pep managing England either.
"It's hard for me to comment on this because I'm obviously not English, I'm Scottish.
"The people I speak to within the game, there is a feeling that the manager of England should come from St George's Park, which is the headquarters of English football, the FA and all the coaching programmes that they have there.
"Why would you have all this and then put a manager not from England in? I think most of the people in England are looking for an English manager."
The Three Lions' next game is a Nations League clash with the Republic of Ireland in September, with Finland their next opponents three days later.
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