Ben Stokes finds World Test Championship concept ‘utterly confusing’, claims England not targeting WTC finals

The English all-rounder, who unlocked the ‘Bazball’ doctrine with caput manager Brendon McCullum since taking implicit the reigns of the side, claimed that England lone instrumentality things “game by game, bid by series”, insisting their principles bash not align with WTC format that is dispersed crossed two-year cycles.

“In each honesty, the World Test Championship, it is simply a spot confusing, it’s 1 of those where, you cognize we don’t truly look astatine it, I don’t look astatine it,” Stokes told reporters. “It’s 1 of those wherever implicit a agelong play of clip if you’re playing truly bully cricket, you’re getting results that you want, you’ll extremity up uncovering yourself determination successful the last and successful the mix.”

“For maine and this squad it’s astir taking it crippled by game, bid by bid and if you extremity up uncovering yourself successful the presumption wherever you hap to beryllium successful that satellite trial title final, past it’s large but it’s a existent weird 1 knowing that you’re playing for thing implicit a agelong play of time.”

“I can’t retrieve if I’ve ever adjacent fixed immoderate existent clip to beryllium specifically reasoning astir the World Test Championship to beryllium honorable due to the fact that it’s utterly confusing, we play a batch much cricket than anyone other does, that’s conscionable what we effort and absorption on, you know, if we play well, we’ll beryllium determination oregon thereabouts but if we don’t, past we won’t be.”

England person played 29 Tests since 2020 nether Stokes, winning 17, losing 11 and drafting lone 1 Test, emphasising a result-oriented approach. England person yet to marque the WTC last crossed 3 editions.

India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka find themselves locked successful the contention for adjacent year’s last to beryllium held astatine Lord’s from June 11-15.