Ben Stokes seems sure England can take advantage of Delhi delights

 BEN Stokes claims England's ICC World Twenty20 semi-final against New Zealand in Delhi will feel like a home game.

Stokes and company may be more than 4,000 miles from Lord's but, by the time they take on the Black Caps tomorrow, they will have been based in India's capital for 11 days.

They have already played, and won, Super 10 matches against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, and they feel increasingly comfortable on a pitch that can be tricky to read.

New Zealand, on the other hand, have had a nomadic schedule, taking in games at Nagpur, Dharamsala, Mohali and Kolkata.

If there is a marginal gain to be had against the only unbeaten side in the competition, Stokes is happy to take it.

"This is our third game there, so you could say it's like a home game, even though it's in India," he said.

"We learned a lot from the Afghanistan game leading into Sri Lanka, knowing we're a little bit more used to the conditions, knowing it's quite hard to get yourself in on a wicket like Delhi.

"We know that hitting that back of a length is quite difficult, because it's quite variable in bounce – some will skid through, others hold up. That's one thing we'll take into the game as well."

The question of where exactly 'home' is is not new to Stokes. It may not be apparent when listening to him speak, but he was born in Christchurch, New Zealand.

At the age of 12 he moved to Cumbria after his father, Ged, was appointed as coach of rugby league side Workington, a relocation that has proved hugely profitable for both Durham and England.

Stokes has now played against his native country ten times across all formats – including eight last year – and he is well-versed in downplaying the issue. Invited to ponder how his career might have panned out had he remained in New Zealand, he laughed and said in his broad northern tones: "I'd probably have a different accent.

"It [playing for them] might have been an option when I was nine or ten and still living there. But ever since I made a choice of trying to have a career of being a professional cricketer, ever since getting picked at England Under-15s, all I ever wanted to do was play for England."

Stokes has been seen as something special for quite some time but the pieces have clicked into place spectacularly in the past year, partly as a result of careful handling by head coach Trevor Bayliss and assistant Paul Farbrace.

In May he hit the fastest Test century at Lord's, against none other than New Zealand, in January he blew South Africa away with a record-breaking 258 in Cape Town, and all the while he has been honing his skills as a limited-overs death bowler.

The latter is a role he relishes. In England's last two outings, both 'must-win' affairs, he has been handed the final over the match, giving up just eight against Afghanistan and half as many in a superb effort to close out victory over Sri Lanka at the weekend.

In the latter game he had also struck his only delivery, the final ball of the innings, for six. When the pressure is on, Stokes craves centre stage.

"I'd much rather be doing that last over thing than sitting there watching and hoping whoever bowls it gets us through," he said.

"I'd rather be the man doing it – it's a lot easier on the nerves. It sounds silly to say when you're the person doing it, but I'm not very good watching in tight situations like that. I love being involved in the high-pressure situations.