SINGLE-RUN LOSS STOKES ASHES DESIRE

BEN STOKES has vowed to get himself fully fit for this summer's Ashes battle after England lost a remarkable Test with New Zealand... by one run.

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Stokes was unable to play a full part in the narrowest of defeats in Wellington, owing to a chronic knee injury that hampered every aspect of his game.

But England's Test skipper is confident he can get himself right over the next four months, even though the 31-year-old is committed to playing a central role in the Indian Premier League for the Stephen Fleming-coached Chennai Super Kings.

Stokes, who ruled out surgery as an option, said: "I'm not going to lie, it's incredibly frustrating knowing something has been holding me back from performing.