'Raring to go' Stokes brushes off injury worry after pulling up

Ben Stokes moved to play down concerns over his fitness and declared himself "raring to go" for the second Test at Wellington after the England captain ended his efforts with the ball mid-over during the eight-wicket win at Hagley Oval.

- Ali Martin

Stokes, who has missed four Tests this year with a hamstring injury, pulled up lame three balls into the fifth over of his spell on day four. But given England were closing in on victory at this stage Stokes was taking a cautious decision after feeling some stiffness in his back.

"I think the body is going to be good for this outing," he said, having sent down 19.3 overs in the match and hit 80 in the first innings. "I've not spent that much time out in the middle for a long time. I hurt my back diving for a ball on day one as well. It was more management than anything else."