England head home from New Zealand with the rare sting of defeat after the Black Caps’ ‘Miracle at the Basin’ and more than a little concern over the fitness of captain Ben Stokes a few months out from the Ashes.

While Stokes had no regrets about enforcing the follow-on in the one-run defeat in Wellington, he had plenty about the state of his left knee which had him grimacing in pain throughout the series. Knee trouble has long bothered Stokes but he has soldiered on through 10 Test wins in 12 matches since taking charge of England last year.

Things appeared to have come to a head in Wellington where the all-rounder managed to bowl only two overs and was in pain when batting. It is still not clear whether Stokes, who’s with CSK in the IPL, will be available for the tournament and a decision could be taken in the next few days.

Written with Reuters inputs