Ben Stokes insists England are ready for the battle that awaits them in the fourth Test of a fiery series against India, reserving praise for the new “mental performance coach” who has brought his experience from New Zealand’s all-conquering rugby union team to the setup.
England hold a 2-1 lead ahead of the penultimate Test of the five-match series, which starts at Old Trafford on Wednesday – all live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am, ahead of the first ball at 11am.
It has been a series filled with immense quality, but also confrontation and controversy. Stokes expects that to continue come Wednesday, and prior to the fourth Test, England have called on the external help of Gilbert Enoka to enable them to channel their values and mentality into even greater success.
Enoka worked for New Zealand rugby for close to two decades, implementing mental skills and a leadership culture that helped the All Blacks to two World Cup wins in 2011 and 2015. Both England captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum are looking to tap into his high-performance experience.
Having also worked in other sports – for Chelsea in football and New Zealand’s cricket team – Enoka was hired by McCullum ahead of the first home Test of the summer against Zimbabwe. He addressed the England players before training at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
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Harry Brook reflected on the needle between England and India at Lord’s ahead of their next Test match in Manchester
“Me and Baz spoke a lot about what we want to do and how we want to take the team forward,” Stokes explained. “We can say as much as we want, but we don’t have the knowledge or the experience in pushing teams onto the next level, where we want to get to.
“If you’ve got the opportunity for someone to come into the group and help you put into words what you want to try and do and want to try and achieve as a team, that’s what you’ve got to do. Luckily, Baz has known Gilbert for a long, long time, and I’m sure you’ve all looked up his CV – it’s pretty good.
“He’s come in, spent some time around the team, and been able to put into words what we want to do, a lot better than what me and Baz would ever be able to do. I think every team that ends up being as good as they possibly can have some external help come in.
“We’ve given ourselves as much chance as we possibly can of kicking on to where we want to be. We both felt that Gilbert was the right person to do that.”
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Relive the final day of the third Test between England and India with our comms cam!
Stokes, born in New Zealand himself, sees a lot of the All Blacks in England’s current side. Expanding on how Enoka will help his team, he added: “He put everything to the team in a very clear and simple way; the culture around how we operate as a team, on the field, off the field, the meaning of why we do everything.
“Me and Baz are very big on choices and options that you take, it’s not just about you but also your team-mates.
“Having someone come in and speak from experience around an unbelievable team like the All Blacks, who almost share some of those certain values, was nice to hear.
“We’re very similar in our mindset towards what we want to be doing as a team. Our culture of how we want to be, how our behaviours are, training, all that kind of stuff. It’s a lot better coming from someone who’s done that and been very successful in team sports.”
Stokes: England won’t take ‘backwards step’ against India
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Take a look back at all of the tension and needle from the feisty third Test between England and India
Enoka is consulting England at a crucial time in Stokes and McCullum’s tenure, with an away Ashes series on the horizon. But first comes the final two Tests against India and the mental warfare that provides.
There have been numerous flashpoints between the two teams so far, and Stokes is adamant his team won’t back down if confronted again at Old Trafford.
“I don’t think it’s one of those things where we’re going to necessarily just go out and start at it. I don’t think either team’s really looking to do that,” Stokes said.
“I think there’s always going to be a moment in a Test series where something does heat up. It’s a massive series.
“There’s a lot of pressure on both teams to go out and perform. The environment when you’re out there, obviously there’s going to be some moments and some heat showing.
“It’s not something that we’re going to purposely go out and start, that will take our focus off what we actually need to do out in the middle. But by no means are we going to take a backward step and let any opposition try and be confrontational towards us. I think that goes for most teams.”
Can Dawson spin his way into Ashes reckoning?
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Watch highlights between England and India on the final day of the third Test from Lord’s
The one change from the England team that beat India in a thriller at Lord’s comes with Liam Dawson replacing the injured Shoaib Bashir.
Dawson, 35, hasn’t featured in a Test for England in eight years, but Stokes, while refusing to be drawn on his Ashes hopes, doesn’t doubt the Hampshire left-armer can hit the ground running.
“He’s been performing really well for Hampshire for a while now, and I think with getting recalled into the white ball team as well, he showed that he can come back in and get to work straight away,” Stokes stated.
“I think someone with as much experience as Liam has, it makes coming back easier. He’s got all that experience to fall back on – he’s a very good cricketer and I’m excited for him this week.
“I think if you get called back into the squad after a while, regardless of how old you are, you want to showcase your skills.
“Dawson coming back in, people who are ageing might look at that and know now that it’s not the end of the road.
“It just shows that if you keep working hard and keep putting in good performances consistently, you’re always going to be spoken about.”
England vs India – results and schedule
England lead five-match series 2-1 (all games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports)
Watch the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event on Wednesday with coverage from 10am, ahead of the first ball at 11am, or stream without a contract.
