England isn’t just about the batsmen anymore
What more is there to say about Ben Stokes that hasn’t already been said? Once again, he showed just why so many people are calling him the best player in the world right now. His 102 not out against Australia was something very, very special, make no mistake about it.
And what more can we say about England? I said in my last column that the best is still to come and the exciting thing is, despite Saturday’s wonderful win, I think that still applies.
Just writing this makes me laugh. We’ve just knocked out Australia, leaving it without a win all tournament, and now head to the semifinal as the only team with a 100 per cent record. And even then, I’m sure we can get better! England is not where it wants to be just yet, and I know it’ll certainly not be getting carried away with itself and instead looking forward to the next game, but the boys can feel very happy with their progress so far.
After a shaky start from our boys, where I was starting to get a little nervous, Stokes — and a just as impressive Eoin Morgan — put on a dream partnership and blew whatever chance the Aussies had out of the water.
Morgan and Stokes’s partnership of 159 was a joy to behold and it was great to see Morgs continue his brilliant run of form. I was told after the game that Morgs is now equal with me on most number of half-centuries (39) for England in ODIs. Everything he’s touching is turning to gold.
With the ball, Adil Rashid once again had a day to remember. Wickets and total runs conceded aside, for him to finish his stint without conceding one boundary was just remarkable. Mark Wood deserves congrats as well. What a time to return your best ODI figures for England. Like Rashid, Wood deserves credit for keeping England within touching distance.
It’s so encouraging to see guys like Rashid, Wood and Liam Plunkett show people that this team isn’t just about the batsmen, who’ve had most of the plaudits over the last couple of years. We’ve got genuine quality with the ball as well, and this is despite losing Chris Woakes, who we all know is a fantastic player. What Saturday showed is just how important it is to take wickets through the middle overs to stop a team gaining too much momentum. England did that brilliantly.
The Aussies are going to be hurt by this. If the Ashes this winter needed any extra bite, it’s probably just got it.