Newshub18 :Stokes was interested in playing for New Zealand.
New Zealand is the birthplace of England Test captain Ben Stokes — it’s old news. However, former New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has given a new information about Stokes in his autobiography ‘Black and White’. Taylor himself wanted Stokes to play in the New Zealand team a decade ago. But it did not happen due to the unwillingness of the then Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket.
In 2010, Taylor went to England to play for the county. He remembers Stokes 18–19 years as his teammate while playing for Durham. When he learned that Stokes was born in New Zealand, he offered him to play for his country. Seeing Stokes’ interest, Taylor texted the then chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, Justin Vaughan, about the whole matter. But Vaughn wasn’t that interested.
In his autobiography ‘Black and White’, Taylor wrote, ‘I loved watching Stokes at Durham. Totally kiwi. How old will be! 18 or 19! I love watching his game. I asked Stokes if he wanted to play for New Zealand. Stokes was quite interested. Seeing his interest, I conveyed the whole matter to the then Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket, Justin Vaughan. But as excited as I was, Vaughan showed no such enthusiasm. Vaughan tells me, “Okay, get the boy to play domestic cricket in New Zealand. Let him play and perform there, see you later”.
Taylor also wrote, ‘I told Stokes. But he was not willing to start afresh.
Stokes was born in Christchurch. At the age of 12, he moved to England with his family. His father Gerard Stokes was a professional rugby player. Later he moved to England and started coaching rugby. Stokes made his international debut for England at the age of 20 in 2011. Test debut in 2013. Gradually he became one of England’s most important match winners. In the final of the 2019 World Cup, England won the title for the first time due to his heroics. He recently got the Test captaincy, said goodbye to ODIs as well.