Stokes delighted with extra responsibility

Ben Stokes credited the belief the England coaching team have shown in him after thumping a fluent 92 in the first innings of the Investec Test at Lord's.

Stokes was promoted to No. 6 in the batting line-up and told to go out and play his natural, aggressive game. And he feels the added responsibility helped as he and Joe Root rescued England from a perilous position.

"Batting at No. 6 is important to me, because I feel it gives me more responsibility," Stokes said. "It's nice to be given the confidence by the coach and the captain. Hopefully I can make it my spot.

"Paul Farbrace said today 'Do what you do; everyone backs you in the changing room, so don't change anything just because you are in the Three Lions.'

"International cricket doesn't always last as long as you want it to. While I'm here I want to play the way I want to and know that I can be successful. Whenever I put an England shirt on, I try to play the same way I do for Durham, as that's what got me here."

The last time Stokes played a Test a Lord's in July last year he suffered a pair against India to round off a run of three successive run-less innings. He didn't play another Test for nine months.

He was naturally delighted to score his first Test runs at Lord's and reflected that he was a far more mature player than the man who missed the World T20 in 2014 having broken his wrist punching a locker in exasperation at another cheap dismissal.

"I bagged a pair last time I was here, so things couldn't have got any worse really," Stokes said. "It's always nice to come back to a place where it hasn't gone too well and then put a performance in for the team.

"Punching the locker was a stupid moment and something, I hope, I'll never do again, because lockers are generally harder than bones and wrists.