Ben Stokes: England captain 'blessed' to be a part of thrilling defeat by New Zealand

Ben Stokes' broadside person won 4 retired of their 5 Test matches this winter

England skipper Ben Stokes said helium felt "blessed" to person been portion of their thrilling Test lucifer against New Zealand successful Wellington, contempt the tourists losing by 1 run.

"It is disappointing to not triumph obviously, but we look astatine the bigger picture," Stokes told BT Sport.

"What everyone has enjoyed present contiguous is astir apt bigger than immoderate disappointment astatine the moment."

Stokes added: "Being successful that concern successful the past fractional an hour, it is everything you privation for.

"And adjacent though we came retired connected the incorrect broadside of it, you can't assistance but consciousness blessed that we managed to beryllium a portion of an unthinkable crippled similar that."

Speaking to BBC Sport astir the infinitesimal James Anderson was dismissed to seal New Zealand's win, Stokes said: "I didn't cognize however Jimmy would respond erstwhile helium walked off.

"He's been successful those positions earlier wherever he's walked disconnected disappointed, but the information helium was walking disconnected smiling made everything we speech and talk astir existent and a reality."

James Anderson, left, has not deed the winning runs successful a Test successful 179 appearances for England

• NZ bushed England by 1 tally successful all-time large finish
• New Zealand triumph astonishing Test by 1 tally - time 5 arsenic it happened

Stokes besides says helium has nary regrets astir enforcing the follow-on contempt New Zealand becoming conscionable the 4th broadside successful Test past to triumph a lucifer having been asked to bash so.

"Imagine captaining successful hindsight? That's not thing I would ever do," helium added.

"It was ever our crippled to suffer erstwhile we had enforced the follow-on. The logic was our bowlers had ripped done their apical bid 3 innings successful a enactment and we knew New Zealand had to play beauteous overmuch the cleanable crippled to enactment america successful a concern similar this.

"Batting successful the past innings chasing 250 is not thing we were disquieted about, but you person to springiness immense recognition to New Zealand not conscionable for the mode they batted successful their 2nd innings but the mode they bowled and managed to get aboriginal wickets with not excessively galore runs connected the board.

"Other teams are allowed to wage amended than america and New Zealand played amended than america this week."

New Zealand skipper Tim Southee says the melodramatic finale tin lone beryllium bully for the longest signifier of the game.

"I person to accidental it ranks close up there," helium said. "There person lone been a fistful of sides to beryllium asked to travel connected and triumph truthful it is beauteous special. We were connected the backmost ft aft 2 days and the quality shown implicit the past 3 days has been truly pleasing.

"It is large for Test cricket the mode England person been playing and it was different large Test lucifer to beryllium progressive in. All the guys present cherish Test cricket and hopefully having matches similar this volition beryllium bully for Test cricket going forward."

The melodramatic last hr - however you reacted

Despite the clip successful the UK ticking past 3am, determination were inactive plentifulness of you staying up to ticker the play unfold thousands of miles distant astatine the Basin Reserve successful Wellington.

Dyf successful Somerset: Test. Match. Cricket. Is. THE. Best. Thanks England for rescuing it! #Bazball

Mike, Hastings: It's 3.00 successful the greeting and I tin consciousness my adrenaline pumping!

Mark: Win oregon lose, this is perfectly riveting. I can't ever retrieve being up astatine 2:30am connected a enactment nighttime glued to a Test!

Michael successful Amsterdam: Should person been dormant hours ago, but Test lucifer cricket astatine this level is excessively bully to miss.

Suhel Ahmed: Enthralling Test lucifer astatine Basin Reserve acknowledgment to Ben Stokes enforcing the follow-on. Without it, this lucifer would person been implicit 2 days agone arsenic a contest. Instead we person a classical connected our hands.

Katie successful Oxford: McCullum and Stokes' England are genuinely a "live by the sword and dice by the sword" squad and it is incredibly entertaining and incredibly stressful to watch. I'm loving it.