England vs India: Ben Stokes ready for fourth Test battle as he hails impact of new ex-New Zealand rugby coach
Before a busy summer and winter schedule, Ben Stokes believes that England’s new consultant Gilbert Enoka can
help the team advance. Watch the fourth Test match against India live on Sky Sports Cricket starting Wednesday at
10 a.m. (11 a.m. first ball).
Ben Stokes, who has reserved praise for the new “mental performance coach” who has brought his experience from
New Zealand’s all-conquering rugby union squad to the setup, maintains that England is prepared for the challenge
that awaits them in the fourth Test of a fierce series against India.
Before the penultimate Test of the five-match series begins at Old Trafford on Wednesday, England leads 2-1. The
action will be shown live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event starting at 10 a.m., with the first ball
scheduled for 11 a.m.
It has been a series filled with immense quality, but also confrontation and controversy. Stokes expects that to
continue come Wednesday, and prior to the fourth Test, England have called on the external help of Gilbert Enoka to
enable them to channel their values and mentality into even greater success.
Enoka spent nearly twenty years working with New Zealand rugby, where he developed a leadership culture and
used mental techniques that led the All Blacks to two World Cup victories in 2011 and 2015. Both coach Brendon
McCullum and England captain Stokes want to capitalise on his track record of success
Prior to the first home Test match of the summer against Zimbabwe, McCullum hired Enoka, who had previously
worked in other sports for Chelsea in football and the New Zealand cricket team. Prior to Tuesday’s training at Old
Trafford, he spoke to the England players.
“Me and Baz spoke a lot about what we want to do and how we want to take the team forward,” Stokes explained. We
can say as much as we want, but we don’t have the knowledge or the experience in pushing teams onto the next level,
where we want to get to.
“If you’ve got the opportunity for someone to come into the group and help you put into words what you want to try
and do and want to try and achieve as a team, that’s what you’ve got to do. Luckily, Baz has known Gilbert for a long,
long time, and I’m sure you’ve all looked up his CV – it’s pretty good.
“He’s come in, spent some time around the team, and been able to put into words what we want to do, a lot better
than what me and Baz would ever be able to do. Every squad that becomes as good as it can, in my opinion, can
benefit from outside assistance.
“We’ve given ourselves the best opportunity to keep going and accomplish our objectives. We thought Gilbert would
be the most suitable guy to do that.
Stokes, who was born in New Zealand, believes that England’s current team has many All Blacks. “He put everything
to the team in a very clear and simple way; the culture around how we operate as a team, on the pitch, off the pitch,
the meaning of why we do everything,” he continued, going into further detail about how Enoka will support his
team.
“Baz and I place a lot of importance on the decisions and options you make; it’s not just about you it’s also about
your teammates.
It was good to hear someone with firsthand knowledge of an incredible team like the All Blacks, who nearly share the
same principles.
“When it comes to our goals as a team, we have very similar mindsets. We have a culture that dictates our desired
behaviours training, and other things. Coming from someone who has accomplished that and excelled in team sports
is far superior.
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