Follow UsFormer New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor in his autobiography "Ross Taylor: Black and White" says he tried to persuade Ben Stokes to play for New Zealand, but New Zealand Cricket (NZC) did not act swiftly.
As a result, Stokes, who had moved to England at the age of 12 with his father, went on to play for the English side and is currently their Test captain. Taylor says he had a chance to interact with Stokes during his stint with Durham in 2010 around which time, Stokes was in his late teens.
“He was 18 or 19 and very much a Kiwi," Taylor wrote.
“Over a Guinness, I asked him if he wanted to come and play in New Zealand. He was keen so I sent a message to New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan saying this guy Stokes was a really good young cricketer and interested in playing for New Zealand.’’
“Vaughan replied along the lines that he could start playing domestic cricket and we’d see where it went. I went back saying we’d have to offer him more than that because he wouldn’t be interested if it meant starting on the bottom rung of the ladder.
“Obviously it didn’t come to anything."
However, Stokes has always insisted that he wanted to play for England. In 2009, a 17-year-old Stokes had said that his long-term plan was "“to play for England when I’m older. I call myself an Englishman now."
Stokes played a huge role in helping win the 2019 World Cup, incidentally which came against a New Zealand side that had Taylor.
The Christchurch-born England all-rounder has played 83 Tests, 105 ODIs and 34 T20Is since making his debut in 2011. He recently retired from the 50-over format in order to prolong his career in the other two formats.