England are about to complete their busiest year of Test cricket with Ben Stokes encouraged by the overhaul in personnel that has taken place. Although the captain has a small regret from this period: publicly discussing the next Ashes series.

The third Test against New Zealand that starts in Hamilton on Saturday (10pm Friday UK) will be England’s 17th in 2024, matching only their fixture list in 2016 by way of volume. That year saw a jaded Alastair Cook quit the captaincy but while Stokes called 2024 “a long, tough slog”, the 33-year-old completes it looking personally rejuvenated.

The same goes for a side that finished 2023 with an average age of 32 and has since shaved that figure by nearly five years. The retirements of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali – plus the decision to move on from Jonny Bairstow – account for much of this shift, while the subsequent arrivals of Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir have largely vindicated the policy also.

Ordering an all-time great such as Anderson to step aside at the start of the summer was not straightforward, however, and took some explaining publicly. And it was here where Stokes found himself using the 2025-26 Ashes – and the likelihood a seamer already in his forties would not make it that far – as the overriding justification.

But as well as being just one factor in that call from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum – Anderson’s diminishing returns were the great unsaid at the time – it also cut against the team’s mantra of living in the present. And so while 2-0 up in this series and about to play their final away Test before next winter’s Australia tour, Stokes moved to stress that there is a significant challenge in between.

“There is still a massive series before that,” Stokes said on Thursday, two days out from the New Zealand finale. “We have India [five Tests at home next summer]. And I think, through my own fault, I maybe spoke a little too much about the Ashes and put too much emphasis on that considering how much cricket we had to play before then.

“Yes, every Englishman and Australian knows the Ashes is big but I think toning down expectations is something I will be better at in the build up. It is a massive series, just like the last one was. You do always have one eye on that. But we have six more Tests [including one against Zimbabwe] before that so we have to focus on those games.

“It is hard to avoid but I have to make sure we focus on the here and now and what we’ve got coming up. Then when the Ashes is our next series, focus on that.”

Asked why he spoke about planning for the future, he replied: “I don’t know where it really came from. Maybe I felt like I had to start saying a few things differently; to sound like I was saying the right things, even without really being true to the words that were coming out of my mouth.”

While all this underlines the cycle that English cricket has long since wrestled with – the World Test Championship still struggles to get a mention – Stokes does believe the building blocks have been put in place for the team beyond his time as captain. Not that youth was a policy, he insisted, rather a byproduct of televised Twenty20 cricket both up-skilling the next generation and providing a shop window for their talents.

Stokes said: “I guess in four, five, six years, however long it is, the younger guys are going to be the core; the guys who are going to take the team forward like I’ve tried to do over the last two-and-a-half years. It’s an exciting prospect.”

Among the leading lights is 25-year-old Harry Brook who, after the remarkable 123 in Wellington that saw this series won with a game to spare, has overtaken Joe Root as No 1 in the Test batting rankings. Ricky Ponting, the Australian great, described him as a “generational talent” this week and Stokes is inclined to agree.

England have recalled Durham seamer Matthew Potts for the third and final Test against New Zealand in Hamilton, with Chris Woakes making way.

Potts, who won the last of his nine Test caps against Pakistan in October, is expected to take over Woakes' new-ball role at Seddon Park. He enjoyed significant success against the Black Caps in 2022, taking 14 wickets in three Tests including star batter Kane Williamson on three occasions.

'We're looking forward to giving Pottsy an opportunity to see what he can do this week,' said England captain Ben Stokes. 'He's got a massive engine on him. He can go all day and bowl a lot of overs but not just that, he's a very skilful and versatile bowler. You can use him with the new ball and the short-ball plan.'

Woakes would likely have held his spot if the series was still up for grabs after improving his Test record on foreign soil. 'Woakesy came into the winter tours with a bit of scrutiny behind his away record but I think what he has done has proved a lot of people wrong,' said Stokes. 'He's been fantastic for us, he was great in Pakistan and pretty influential over here too.' PA Media

“Someone of his talent will only get better,” said Stokes. “There will always be ebbs and flows but there’s no doubt Harry Brook will be an even bigger superstar that is right now. He looks up to Joe Root and talks a lot about batting. When you have his ability and work ethic, it’s quite scary where he could take himself.”

The early finish to the second Test allowed England’s players additional downtime on tour, with golf in Lake Taupō and clay pigeon shooting among the various distractions. Stokes held off from naming a team on Thursday, wanting to check on the fitness of his attack, while all eyes in New Zealand were on the make-up of the home side’s XI.

Will Young, player of the series during the 3-0 win in India, is set to return after being overlooked so far, but the chief talking point is whether Tim Southee, retiring after the match but struggling with form in the series, will be handed an on-field farewell.

Stokes added: “He’s been an incredible servant to New Zealand cricket. [Seddon Park in Hamilton] is his home ground as well, so a great place to finish what has been an awesome career. He’s been great to play against.”