England opener’s big statement on Ben Stokes controversy, said

Delhi: After England’s troubles increased in the second Test against New Zealand, young batsman Emilio Gay made it clear that there is no lack of leadership in the team. He says that the discussions going on outside the field have not had any negative impact on the players’ performance or the atmosphere in the dressing room.

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On the second day, some of England’s strategies were not good, taking advantage of which New Zealand scored 391 runs in their first innings. In reply, by the end of the day’s play, England had scored 222 runs after losing six wickets and were still 169 runs behind.

Despite the inexperienced team, players’ morale remains intact

Before this match, the England team had to go through many changes. Five changes were made in the team that won the Lord’s Test, while the responsibility of captaincy also had to be changed suddenly.

Regular captain Ben Stokes is preparing to play for Durham away from the team, due to which experienced batsman Joe Root had to take charge of a young and less experienced team. Three players in this team have made their debut in Test cricket.

Emilio Gay admitted that there is definitely a lack of experience, but there are many players in the team who have been playing international cricket for a long time and are constantly providing guidance.

Joe Root and Brendon McCullum created a calm atmosphere in the dressing room

Emilio Gay said that the team has players like Joffra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Harry Brook, who have played a lot of cricket in all formats for England.

He told that many types of external discussions took place before the Test match, but Joe Root and head coach Brendon McCullum have maintained a calm and positive atmosphere in the dressing room. This helped the players to concentrate completely on the game.

Controversy related to Ben Stokes described as external noise

Emilio Gay also reacted to the continuous discussions regarding Ben Stokes. He said that he knows Stokes well from Durham, but at the moment his priority is to focus only on his game.

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He said that as a young player he already faces many challenges. He has to understand the pitch, face the bowlers and perform well in his second Test match, so he does not want to pay attention to external things.

It is noteworthy that in the current circumstances of England, Emilio Gay’s statement shows the unity of the team. The positive atmosphere of the dressing room is good news for the team. However, it will be necessary to adopt better strategy on the field, because not just the atmosphere but the performance will decide the outcome of the match.