Australia being 2-0 up in the Ashes series is something not to be taken lightly. Stokes is rallying the troops, yet he faces much more as England captain than he may suspect...
At lunch, England have secured 4 wickets whilst Australia have scored 91 in the 1st day of the 3rd test. A fantastic start to be sure, with the seamers enjoying favourable conditions to vary the swing and keep the batsmen on the back foot. Mark Wood notably bowled the fastest ever over at Headingley since records began in 2006, reaching a speed of 96.5 mph to muster up courage from the crowd. Stuart Broad has led the charge from the English bowling outfit, securing 2 catches to take his career total to 595. A mixture of scalp-grazing short balls, accurate out-swingers and intimidating pressure has proven costly for the Aussies, and the momentum seems to have shifted away from the first 2 tests.
In the press conference leading up to the 3rd test, Ben Stokes remained adamant that their focus is on winning the last 3 tests through 'the same approach'. Watchers on have recently questioned some of Stokes' leadership decisions, notably in the first test having declared too early whilst Root was batting superbly in order to bowl the Aussies out. This later became a misstep as England just fell short of glory. The 2nd test was marred with England's Bazball approach to the Aussies' short ball antics, something which will live in the mind of Stokes for tests to come. Plus, who could forget Alex Carey's controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, which by the letter of the law was out, but mired the spirit of the game undoubtedly. Bairstow will be more cautious in his departure of the crease I'm sure.
England's task to reclaim the Ashes is an uphill battle, and as history suggests, this hill is the size of Kilimanjaro with Mountain Lions scattered across the path to glory. In short, the last time any side came back from 2-0 down in an Ashes series was in the 1936-37 series, in which Don Bradman rallied his Australian side to win. It is a seemingly insurmountable task for the Poms, but Stokes' belief and this early bowling performance gives faith to the Leeds crowd.
In order to win, England simply must employ a defensive strategy when pressure needs to be absorbed. This is something that has been ignored in favour of the Bazball approach, which aims to play high-risk high-reward cricket to entertain and increase the pace of play. Test cricket, which can be fast-paced at times, requires batters to dictate the system of play to their pace in order to frustrate the fielding team and change their approach. England must understand this if they are serious about winning the series. Runs will come easier to them instead of trying to force opportunities to score, showing composure in times of struggle. The 6 catches taken by Australia in the 2nd innings at Lord's will be a poignant reminder of this for Stokes. Lessons learned in the gaping jaws of loss lead to the development towards victory, which will essential for a record breaking recovery which England require. Only time will tell.
Comments