Follow UsThe new skipper of England in the longest format, Ben Stokes, has urged England to be positive as they set foot at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Friday, June 10, with an aim to clinch the series against New Zealand.
England kick-started their new era under the astute leadership of Stokes and Brendon McCullum and promised an attacking style of play ahead of their first game.
"The message from me to everyone is to be even more positive than we were last week," he said in a conversation with the media ahead of the second Test.
"If you look at the result, we ended up winning, but let's just not be comfortable with where we are. Let's just always look to try and be better."
The 50-over World Cup-winning all-rounder added: "Something I learned from the way that Eoin Morgan captains the one-day team is that he's just looking to be more positive, in defeat or in victory. I just want everyone to enjoy every single moment, whether that be on the training field or out in the middle playing for England."
While the bowlers set up the win with aggressive bowling at Lord's, the home team were also brilliant on the field to record their first win in 17 Test matches.
In pursuit of 278 runs, Joe Root anchored the run chase with an unbeaten 115 to guide the team over the line in the first Test. The hosts have announced their playing XI for the second game and will include Jack Leach, who was ruled out after suffering a concussion while fielding in the first innings.
"It was very unfortunate for Leachy last week," said Stokes. "This week was an easy one, once the doctors and Leachy said he was good to go."
Victory in Nottingham would give England their first series win in six attempts, with almost 18 months have passed since they defeated Sri Lanka on home soil.
The opening Test of the series was the first time Root was playing after relinquishing his captaincy responsibilities. The right-handed batter responded in a commanding fashion to smash an unbeaten century.
"I went through that whole ride with Joe, especially over the last two years," Stokes said. "We had some private conversations on tour around that kind of stuff.
"Being England captain is more than just what you do on the field. You can end up taking it home, and it can affect your personal situation, which Joe was very brave to say. But without that added pressure of being captain, it was almost like he was 18 again last week," he added.
"It's great he doesn't have that mountain of the added pressure of being the captain on his shoulders. He can just go out there and score the runs as he does," he concluded.
(With inputs from AFP)