ENG vs NZ | Always look to try and be better: Ben Stokes

England head into the Nottingham Test with a 1-0 lead against New Zealand, who will look to bounce back and level the series. Ben Stokes, ahead of Day 1, has asked his team to be more positive and try to better their show from the Lord's Test.

A win at Trent Bridge will kick off coach Brendon McCullum and the new skipper's era on the right foot, claiming an unassailable series lead.

According to cricket.com, Stokes said, "The message from me to everyone is to be even more positive than we were last week,"

"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."

Stokes credited England's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan for his approach as a skipper. Morgan led England to their first-ever World Cup win at home in 2019.

Stokes 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 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."

The win in the first Test was England's first win in their last 17 matches.

Success in the second Test would see England win their first series since defeating Sri Lanka in 2021.

Ever since being appointed as England Test captain, Stokes has had to deal with questions surrounding his relationship with former skipper Joe Root.

The New Zealand-born made it clear that there is nothing to worry about between the two players, and Root can score as much as he likes.

"I went through that whole ride with Joe, especially over the last two years. 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. 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," the all-rounder concluded.

On the flip side, it has been a tough build-up for the Kiwis, who are set to lose Kane Williamson in the second Test after he tested positive for COVID-19.