Ben Stokes: Captaincy will be a learning curve for England all-rounder - Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow says he doesn't expect captaincy to change Ben Stokes as a player

Being England's Test captain will be a "learning curve" for Ben Stokes, says team-mate Jonny Bairstow.

The first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday will be the first outing for England's new captain and coach, Brendon McCullum.

"Not much will change from Ben Stokes the player," Bairstow told BBC Test Match Special.

"The way he goes about his bowling and his batting, it's all whole-hearted stuff and his captaincy will be the same.

Stokes previously captained England in the first Test against West Indies in 2020, when former skipper Joe Root missed the match to attend the birth of his second child.

He also led the one-day international side to a 3-0 series victory over Pakistan last summer after a Covid outbreak forced England to name an entirely new squad.

Middle-order batter Bairstow said England supporters will have to be patient as well as excited for the team's new era under Stokes as permanent captain.

"It's going to be a learning experience for him as well," he said.

"We need to understand and recognise that it's going to be a learning curve, but the experience that he's got around him, and the visions that he's got are great.

"If we can all pull together in the right direction, then it is going to be an exciting brand of cricket."

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Bairstow played a key role in England's white-ball transformation under Eoin Morgan that resulted in their 2019 World Cup win and says that a similar transition is due for the Test side.

"It took a period of time for that transition to happen," he added. "Everyone's well aware that it didn't just happen overnight.

"But it was the way in which someone had the bravery to go: 'Right. This is actually the way that we're going to play and we're going to stick to that.' And that person was Morgs [Eoin Morgan] and it's exciting."

England's all-time leading wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad are in contention to play the first Test, having been left out of the West Indies tour in March, but the hosts are missing eight other pace bowlers through injury.

Ollie Robinson was withdrawn on Thursday from the County XI who beat New Zealand in a warm-up because of stiffness in his lower back.

England announced on Monday that Robinson also tested positive for Covid-19 that day and will have his back injury assessed once his isolation period ends this week.

Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher have been ruled out for lengthy periods with stress fractures of the back, while Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Olly Stone and Sam Curran have also been dealing with injuries.

Reigning world Test champions New Zealand have named a 15-man squad for the three-match series but have said that Trent Boult and Henry Nicholls may not feature in the first Test.

Batter Nicholls is recovering from a calf injury while fast bowler Boult is only expected to arrive in the UK on Monday, having played in the Indian Premier League final on Sunday.