Ben Stokes: England test captain plays down Ashes speech, eager to keep his team focused on third Test vs New Zealand

England Test captain Ben Stokes says his side need to focus “on the here and now” and played down talk of a 2025/26 Ashes series in Australia.

Ahead of their third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday – the series already secured, with England 2-0 up – Stokes warned against taking everything as a step towards the ashes.

“Every Englishman and Australian knows that the Ashes is a big series for both teams but I think lowering the expectations in that series is a I'll be better in preparation,” Stokes said.

“You always have one eye on that, but we've got six more Tests before then (next year) so we have to focus on those games.

“I think, through my own fault, I probably talked a little too much about the Ashes and put too much weight on that series with what we had to play before.

“That's so far from what my leadership has been – staying present, staying where we are, and then worrying about stuff when we have to to worry about it. That was a mistake on my part.

“I don't know where it came from really… there are learning curves as a director I guess.

“It's very difficult when you have ash coming around the corner. I've been involved in quite a few of them now and you look at the calendar and think, 'oh it's almost here'.

“That's hard to avoid, but I think I'll make sure I keep my focus on being in the here and now, and what we have to come. Then, when the Ashes is our next series, we will focus on it. it.”

England have certainly found their focus in New Zealand, producing back-to-back big wins at Christchurch and Wellington to end a 16-year wait for a series win in the country.

This means Stokes' side are certain to finish 2024 in credit – with nine wins, seven losses and one to play at Seddon Park. More importantly, the team's reboot has been largely successful.

At the start of the summer in England, there was a selection review of retired wicket-taker James Anderson, with the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach and Ben Foakes also replacing him.

In their place, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse have taken up the bowling mantle, Jamie Smith – absent in New Zealand after the birth of his first child – looks to be Bairstow's ideal successor as a -keeper attack, and the spinner Shoaib. Bashir has 47 wickets in 14 matches.

“Seventeen Tests in a year is a lot when you add other cricket; it's been a long, tough slog but a great year,” Stokes said.

“We have played some good cricket and found some very talented players who have shown that they are capable of delivering big performances on the biggest stage, playing for your country.

“We've had a few personnel changes along the way but the way we've stayed strong with what we're all about, and learned about ourselves as players and as a team… we've come a long way.

“Of course it wasn't a conscious decision to start bringing in young boys. I think they are much more talented than we were when we were 19, 20, 21.

“In four, five, six years, the younger guys in this team are going to be at the center of the stage, the experienced people taking the team forward like I tried to do. It's a vision It's interesting to think about.”