England’s Ashes series in Australia faced a major setback with the loss in the third Test at Adelaide, which sealed the fate of the series with two matches still left to play. Despite the setback, Ben Stokes has not changed his mind about the captaincy and has reaffirmed his loyalty to the team as a leader.
Stokes is crushed by the Ashes but still ready to lead
This Ashes series was expected to be a different story for England. Stokes and his men came to Australia determined to beat the odds after losing all the three previous tours.
When Stokes was appointed the Test captain of England in 2022, with Brendon McCullum as his coach, they had a common vision of changing the entire perception and performance of England in the hardest of conditions with winning in Australia as the main goal.
Stokes poured a lot of feelings and effort into this series, but the England team as a whole has not been very responsive. The end result is very clear now and there were many instances that showed how much the series had taken out of their captain.
Stokes’ visible frustration after getting out to Mitchell Starc in the first innings at Adelaide, throwing his bat in rage, was a clear illustration of how much the series had meant to him. Doubts were also raised when he didn’t bowl straight away in the second innings on day three.
Given his recent run of injuries, it is quite natural for people to speculate if indeed Stokes will be able to carry the combined load of being a captain and a first-rate all-rounder after the arduous series defeat in Australia.
However, the 34-year-old Stokes, in the post Adelaide Test talks as reported by BBC Sport, declared that the series loss has not dampened his commitment, and he is ready to carry on as England’s Test captain.
“Absolutely,” Stokes replied when asked whether he still has the same energy as the England Test captain.
There might be some questioning around head coach McCullum, but Stokes’ impact and leadership in the current Test scenario are such that he will not be easily pushed out. Plus, he stated that the rest of the series is still very important to him and his team.
For almost a decade and a half, England have not broken the drought of winning a Test match down under, yet Stokes with the remaining two games still to play believes the whole team shall apply the same rigor as there is still a lot at stake.
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