'World Test Championship Is Utterly Confusing'

IMAGE: England Captain Ben Stokes says his team believes in taking things 'game by game, series by series', which does not align with the long-term nature of the World Test Championship, with each cycle spread across three years. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

England Test Captain Ben Stokes says the England team does not specifically think about the ICC World Test Championship while playing, terming the tournament as 'utterly confusing'.

Stokes' comments came ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand for the Thorpe-Crowe Trophy.

'In all honesty, the World Test Championship is a bit confusing; it is one of those where, you know, we do not really look at it, I do not look at it. It is one of those where, over a long period of time, if you are playing really good cricket and you are getting results that you want, you will end up finding yourself there in the final and in the mix,' Wisden quoted Stokes as saying.

'For me and this team, it is about taking it game by game, series by series, and if you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in that World Test Championship final, then it is great, but it is a real weird one knowing that you are playing for something over a long period of time.'

'I cannot remember if I have ever even given any real time to be specifically thinking about the World Test Championship to be honest because it is utterly confusing, we play a lot more cricket than anyone else does, that is just what we try and focus on, you know, if we play well, we will be there or thereabouts, but if we do not, then we would not be,' Stokes added.

In the World Test Championship 2023-2025, England is ranked sixth while the Kiwis are placed two spots above at fourth.

England finished fourth in the previous World Test Championship cycle. This time around as well, they have crashed out of contention for a title clash appearance at Lord's.

Under Stokes, England has played 29 Tests, winning 17, losing 11, and drawing just one.

While Stokes has the second-highest win percentage among all post-war England Test captains who have led in at least five Tests, his overall figures have been ruined by some poor tours in Asia, a 1-4 series loss to India earlier this year and a 1-2 loss to Pakistan as well away from home.

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