England captain Ben Stokes concedes that he has probably spoken too much about next year¡¯s Ashes and is wants the visitors to stay in the ¡°here and now¡± as they look to sweep their test series against New Zealand in Hamilton this week.
Charged with confidence after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with convincing wins in Christchurch and Wellington, England begins its 17th and final test of the year at Seddon Oval on Friday.
England blew a similar chance for a clean sweep against Sri Lanka at home in September, and Stokes is all too aware of the dangers of thinking too far ahead.
¡°I maybe spoke a little too much about the Ashes and put too much onus on that series considering how much cricket we have to play,¡± he told reporters at the team hotel in Hamilton.
¡°But as you know, it¡¯s a big series for every Englishman and Australian. I think toning down expectations around that series is something I will definitely be better at.
¡°I quite like staying in the present and in the moment but it is quite tough when you¡¯ve got an Ashes round the corner. I think it¡¯s about making sure I keep my focus on being in the here and now. And then, when the Ashes is our next series, we will focus on it then.¡±
Stokes said he was happy with England¡¯s form over the year, with the team winning nine of its 16 tests and three of five series.
¡°We¡¯ve played some good cricket and found some extraordinarily talented players who¡¯ve shown they¡¯re capable of delivering big performances on the biggest stage, which is playing for your country,¡± he added.
Chief among the young talents who have made their mark this year is Harry Brook, who has dominated the series against New Zealand with two big centuries and a total of 649 runs at an average of 116.
¡°There will always be ebbs and flows, but there¡¯s no doubt Harry Brook will be an even bigger superstar than he is right now,¡± said Stokes.
¡°He¡¯s just a phenomenal player. You look at his consistency over the last five to six months. He came in with a lot of talent, but now two hundreds in two games, the range of his ability, pure batsmanship across all three formats, he¡¯s pretty hard to match at the moment.¡±
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