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'Yeah, we’ve missed him': England hurt by loss of Ben Stokes, admits Josh Tongue
Josh Tongue admitted England have missed the influence of Ben Stokes after a day in which they crumbled to the brink of defeat in the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval. While they were doing so the team’s full-time captain, forced out of international duty for disciplinary reasons, was 275 miles north at Chester-le-Street, scoring a swashbuckling 95 for Durham in the County Championship.
TL;DR
- Josh Tongue admitted England has missed Ben Stokes's influence in the second Test against New Zealand.
- England is on the brink of defeat, ending day four at 182 for five, needing 281 more runs.
- Ben Stokes was playing county cricket, scoring 95 for Durham, while England played under interim captain Joe Root.
- Joe Root scored an unbeaten 75 and became the second player to pass 14,000 Test runs.
- Tongue praised Root's leadership and positive approach as captain.
- The investigation into the curfew breach that led to Stokes's and Gus Atkinson's exclusion is nearing a conclusion.
- Henry Nicholls, replacing Kane Williamson, acknowledged Root's class as the major threat for New Zealand.