Ben Stokes has revealed how an “awkward” changing room encounter with a new convert to Test cricket helped reinforced England’s commitment to ‘Bazball’.
England’s policy of all-out attack saw them lose the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston in a nerve-racking finale, with some high-profile pundits suggesting more pragmatism might be required to overcome Australia in the coming weeks.
Stokes was never likely to abandon his principles this week at Lord’s, not after spending a year making the case for a style he feels can help save the Test format, and there are good reasons to suggest he is on to something.
As well as winning 11 of their last 14 games, England attracted record television viewing figures in the series opener despite the result.
But for Stokes, the realisation that his methods were cutting through came in unexpected circumstances during a family break at Durham’s Seaham Hall hotel.
“I had a conversation in the men’s changing room at a spa about the game, which was a bit awkward,” he said.
“He said ‘are you the cricketer or do you just look like him?’ And I was like, yeah, it is me. He just said, ‘I went down to the pub after work and I don’t even follow cricket, I was just going to go down for a quick few’. He ended up having a few more and said he was just transfixed on the game.
“So when you hear stuff like that it obviously makes you feel good about what we’re doing, that it’s bringing a new fanbase to the game and it’s reaching people that it might never have reached before. That’s what we’re about.
“We’re all about growing the game and just making it bigger than what it is right now, and I think we’ve managed to achieve that quite well.
“When you take the game away and you have these people coming up to you and saying just how eye-catching and great it is to watch, you understand that what we are doing is very, very good.
“We always want to win every game we play, but if we don’t come away with the win at the end then let’s move on to the next game and let’s keep going.”
With Jofra Archer and Olly Stone already sidelined, England’s hunger for express pace will once again go unfulfilled at the home of cricket.
Stokes wanted to bring in the rapid Mark Wood to add a new dimension to his attack but the 33-year-old, who last played red-ball cricket in December, was unable to guarantee he could deliver at 100 per cent over five days and is instead targeting the third Test at Headingley.
Josh Tongue, who took five wickets on Test debut against Ireland earlier this month, has been called up instead, with Moeen Ali dropping out in part due to concerns over the wound on his right index finger which hampered his effectiveness at Edgbaston.
Having already lost first-choice spinner Jack Leach to a stress fracture, England may be starting to think their hopes of regaining the urn are doomed by misfortune, but Stokes credits Zak Crawley’s delivery of an old Chinese proverb with removing any such worries.
Crawley may seem an unlikely figure to take on the Eric Cantona role of athlete-turned-philosopher, but the Kent opener recited a parable to his team-mates, telling the story of a farmer whose apparent bad luck ends up bringing positive outcomes.
Asked if he felt circumstances were conspiring against his plans for the series, Stokes said: “You could think like that, but Zak actually made an unbelievable speech yesterday in the huddle. It was around a Chinese farmer and luck.
“One thing happens and it might not mean it’s the end of the world. You don’t know why things happen, if it’s for a good reason or not, it’s just one of those things to deal with.”
For Tongue, he has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his mark on the biggest stage in English cricket.
“I’ve dreamt as a young kid growing up about playing in an Ashes series, so to get the nod now is that dream come true,” he said.
“I knew the step up from county cricket to international cricket would be a big one, and playing here at Lord’s was a very special moment for myself having never played here before.
“To then get five wickets against Ireland on my debut was an incredible feeling and should give me confidence ahead of another chance against Australia.
“I’m just looking forward to getting going and trying to do what I can to help the team.
“I feel like I can add a bit more pace and bounce to the attack and hopefully I can get a few wickets for the team as well. Whatever Stokesy asks me to do for the team I’m here to do it as best I can.”
Turning the tide: Windies captain Powell cautiously optimistic about comeback in T20 series against England
Though facing an uphill task in their five-match T20 series against England, West Indies captain Rovman Powell is cautiously optimistic that they can produce a comeback to not only overturn a challenging 2-0 deficit but to go all the way in the series.
Powell’s sentiments served as a rallying cry of sorts as they stare down a must-win situation in the third encounter at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Thursday to keep the series alive.
Still, Powell expressed confidence that the Caribbean setting, coupled with a few strategic changes, will bolster their fightback.
“St. Lucia is always a good place for us. It provides an opportunity for us to play good cricket, and the wicket is generally a good one, probably the best one in the Caribbean,” Powell said in a pre-game interview.
“The people of St Lucia always come out to support us, which is also good, and so we're looking forward to the next three games. Hopefully they can come out and support us, and we can deliver some good cricket,” he added.
After two tough matches in Barbados, which England won by eight wickets and seven wickets, respectively, Powell emphasized the significance of a renewed focus while also pointing to the need for every player to take personal accountability heading into the crucial contest.
“I think it’s a case of each guy reflecting on how things have gone so far from an individual perspective to see if we as individuals are bringing enough to the table, and then we try our best to try to put it together as a team. We have areas that definitely need work, but the guys are in good spirits. We had a good training session today, so we’re hoping to hit the ground running,” Powell explained.
St Lucia is not only familiar territory but also presents a new beginning, especially with the return of key pacer Alzarri Joseph from a two-match suspension.
Powell believes Joseph’s presence will fortify a bowling attack that has struggled in the opening games, as England easily chased down 182 and 158 in both games.
“If you should look at our bowling department, we really needed him in those games. So, it's important for him to come and hit the straps and hit the ground running. As a bowling group, we have areas where we need to control the power play because the middle overs generally take care of themselves, and he will come to bowl some of those overs in the backend,” he shared.
Despite the uphill battle, Powell cited the Caribbean side’s recent successes over the past 18 months as a reminder of their potential.
“It's a little uncomfortable being 2-0 to be honest; it's a position that we haven't found ourselves in in a long time, but it's an opportunity for us to show what we are made of as a T20 team,” Powell declared.
“England is a team that we have played quite often these days, and we have had good results against them. It's just unfortunate that Barbados wasn't good for us in terms of T20 cricket, but St Lucia provides a new opportunity for us to come out and play some good cricket,” the Jamaican reasoned.
Finally, Powell reiterated the importance of a victory on Thursday, not only to stay in the series but also to set the stage for an exhilarating weekend of cricket. The final two encounters are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
“It's a case of us getting back into the series; we just need a win, and once we get the win tomorrow, we can go from there. The guys are upbeat; even though we are 2-0 down, they are in a good frame of mind and ready to play good cricket,” the captain ended.
Tilak's unbeaten ton helps India take lead against South Africa
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten 107 as India went 2-1 up in their T20I series against South Africa, claiming a nail-biting victory in Wednesday's third match in Centurion.
Following their surprise defeat in Sunday's second match, the tourists bounced back to earn their 10th win in their last 12 outings in the format, putting them on the brink of a series triumph.
Tilak was the star of the show as he produced comfortably the best score of his T20I career, surpassing a knock of 55 versus Bangladesh last year in some style, while only facing 56 balls.
He hit eight fours and seven maximums to set South Africa a target of 220 for victory, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 50 from 25 deliveries in support before Keshav Maharaj broke their partnership in the ninth over.
Despite six of India's batsmen scoring 18 runs or fewer and four – Sanju Samson (0), Suryakumar Yadav (1), Rinku Singh (8) and Axar Patel (1) – being limited to single figures, the damage had largely been done already.
South Africa were then dropped to 84-4 within their first 10 overs as Varun Chakravarthy claimed the crucial wickets of Reeza Hendricks (12) and Aiden Markram (29).
Heinrich Klaasen's incredible 54 off 17 balls dragged South Africa back into contention, and they required 18 runs from four deliveries in a grandstand finish, but Arshdeep Singh trapped the hosts' dangerman lbw to secure India's victory.
Having fallen short of their target by just 11 runs, the Proteas must now win Friday's fourth match to salvage a 2-2 draw from the series.
Data Debrief: Big-hitting India on the brink
Tilak recorded a strike rate of 191.07 while Abhishek was at 200.00 as their early partnership powered India towards victory.
India have now hit over 200 sixes in T20I matches this calendar year, only previously surpassing that figure in the format in one previous year – recording 289 in 2022.
Kusal and Avishka centuries take series opener for Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando guided Sri Lanka to a 45-run victory via the DLS Method in the first match of their ODI series against New Zealand on Wednesday.
On a rain-soaked day, the hosts ended their eight-match losing streak at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium with a dominant display from start to finish.
After electing to bat, Sri Lanka were dealt an early blow when Pathum Nissanka (12) was caught by Nathan Smith from Jacob Duffy's delivery in the second over.
However, Kusal would join Avishka at the crease and put the hosts in control, with the pair putting on a 206-run stand.
The duo's contribution formed the bulk of Sri Lanka's 324-5, with Sadeera Samarawickrama (five), Charith Asalanka (40) and Janith Liyanage (12 not out) concluding their innings.
New Zealand started well in their run chase through Will Young (35) and Tim Robinson (35) before the latter was stumped by Mendisb Theekshana in the 13th over.
That kickstarted the tourists' collapse, with the dismissals of Young, Henry Nicholls (six), Mark Chapman (two) and Glenn Phillips (nine) leaving New Zealand 110-5 after 17 overs.
Michael Bracewell's 34 from 32 deliveries steadied the ship somewhat but the damage had been done, with the tourists falling short of their target by 45 runs.
Data Debrief: It's coming home
Sri Lanka have won five of their last six multi-game bilateral men’s ODI series (L1), including each of their last two, and they got off to a perfect start in Dambulla.
The Lions' victory was their first in the format at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium since a seven-wicket win against Pakistan back in August 2014.
They were helped by Kusal's knock of 143 from 128 deliveries, which was his fourth ODI century but his first on home soil since 2020.
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