Ben Stokes dismissal not worthy of criticism, according to Nasser Hussain

Stokes fell for 91 after charging at Tim Southee in the first innings, but Hussain says England needed players to knuckle down for big runs in order to reach the 400 mark in Mount Maunganui

Nasser Hussain has defended Ben Stokes for the aggressive mentality that saw him fall short of a century during England's opening Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui last night.

After a steady opening day saw Stokes hit an unbeaten 67 to build England a strong first-innings platform of 241 for 4 at the close, the allrounder added 24 on the second morning before coming down the track to drive and edging Tim Southee towards a leaping Ross Taylor to start the 11th over of the day.

Southee went on to claim the wickets of Ollie Pope and Sam Curran in successive balls two overs later, derailing England's progress and holding the visitors to a sub-400 total after electing to bat first.

Stokes' 146-ball innings ended was struck at a far greater pace than that managed by any of the top four, though Hussain resisted the opportunity to accuse the batsman of giving away his wicket on Sky Sports' Cricket Debate programme.

"I'm not having the Stokes criticism, not because he's untouchable – he comes down the pitch on a number of occasions, we've seen that to seamers – but once it was thrown wide of him outside off stump, he didn't have a release shot to say no, that's no longer in my arc, and leave it," Hussain said.

"Ninety-nine times out of 100, Stokes has made the right decisions of when to sit in and when to go. He is old enough to work out how to get a Test innings going and he's shown that over the last year or so.

"I'm not having this mentality of a team policy of 'we're going to bat time'. If I'd gone up to [fellow studio guest] Alec Stewart after a hundred Test matches and said this is our policy of how I want you to bat, he'd have shown me the door and a few other words as well.

"You don't want to be holding back these special talents and telling him, oh, next time just sit in. That's not how you make a Ben Stokes cricketer."

^{Ben Stokes went to drive Tim Southee through the covers on 91 but the ball ended up with a leaping Ross Taylor at slip}

Stokes' overnight partner Ollie Pope added just 11 to his score of 18 before reaching at a Southee delivery wide outside off stump, with the 21-year-old Surrey batsman's first Test innings in 15 months ending up in the gloves of wicketkeeper BJ Watling.

Late resistance from Jos Buttler (43) and Jack Leach (18 not out) kept England in the middle for another 20 overs, taking their total to a respectable 353.

However, Hussain questioned why six of England's top seven were able to settle in at the crease and reach double figures but not convert their innings into more significant milestones.

"Three players got to half centuries and didn't convert into big hundreds," Hussain added. "Fifties, sixties and seventies don't often win you Test matches, so instead of just pointing the finger at Ben Stokes or even Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley, that's an area I would look at.

"Cook, Strauss, Trott, Pietersen, Bell – that was our best batting lineup ever. Those guys, when they got in, got big runs, big hundreds and double hundreds.

"That's why I'd look not at individual shots, I'd look at that team sheet and go yes, you did really nicely, and some of you are just starting your way, but on a pretty good pitch on first two days of Mount Maunganui why didn't one of you go on and get a big hundred? Then we won't be 350 all out. 

"Young players coming into the side nowadays get analysed to death and it plays on their brain a little bit. Pope has got to put that to one side realise it is his strength, but go away quietly with the likes of [Surrey director of cricket] Alec or coaches around the circuit and work on those areas."

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