WE WON’T CRUMBLE
Stokes in vow to hit back after thrashing
Ben Stokes bristles as he considers the backlash that greeted the risible second test performance that let South Africa clamber off the canvas just when england appeared to have them down and almost out.
‘For anyone to question our fight and desire is just wrong,’ said england’s talisman as he returned to work at the oval ahead of tomorrow’s third test. ‘the pundits should know how much it means to play for england — how much it means to wear the three Lions on your chest.
‘to get questioned about your desire, commitment and fight for england was a bit much, but we have to take criticism about our performances.
‘We understand that but anything to do with desire is going too far.’
It was Michael Vaughan who appeared to touch a nerve with england when he said on
Match Special that they were not respecting the longer game with a flimsy performance at trent Bridge so lacking in application. ‘I’ve seen a few things on twitter from him but I haven’t read or heard anything else,’ said Stokes. ‘I didn’t want to get annoyed any more.’
england were awful in losing by a whopping 340 runs after winning the first Investec test by a near equally emphatic margin and again collapsed in a heap when, whisper it, fight and desire were needed.
‘I just think we didn’t know how to approach it or were quick enough to adapt to what was in front of us,’ said Stokes of england’s crash to 133 all out on the fourth day. ‘We went out there and expected to play how we all play.
‘Looking back, if we had batted out the two days with all those overs, we’d have won the game so adapting will be the word we use in future if we get in that sort of position. It’s about having a clear mind and a clear approach.’
england are still looking for that elusive balance: playing in the positive way that coach trevor Bayliss favours without playing brainless test cricket.
‘Aggression doesn’t always mean scoring at a strike-rate of 80 or anything like that,’ admitted Stokes. ‘It’s about how you do things. It’s about being aggressive even in leaving the ball, a decisive defensive shot. You have to be committed to all the movements in the shot you decide to play. not take a negative approach but a more sensible one.’
england’s new vice-captain will have to be sensible to avoid following kagiso Rabada in being suspended as he stands one demerit mark away from a ban himself.
South Africa’s premier bowler returns tomorrow after missing trent Bridge for giving Stokes an unsavoury send-off. ‘It came out of nowhere, which is why I turned round,’ said Stokes of the moment Rabada told him to ‘f*** off’ after dismissing him at Lord’s. ‘I have no bad blood with him or any grudges. there was nothing going on in the field, so he must have just been pleased to get me out.
‘When you get caught up in the moment you can forget there are stump mics and cameras just about everywhere and we must remember that kids are watching at home. Maybe we should just say things out on the boundary rather than next to the stumps.’
But why did Rabada pat the back of his head after dismissing Stokes again in the second innings of the first test? ‘Maybe he was calling me baldy or something,’ said the slightly receding vice- captain. ‘I don’t know, to be honest,’ adds Stokes, who must play his part in supporting new captain Joe Root, who has experienced kipling’s twin imposters in his first two games in charge.
‘He handled the success of Lord’s very well and I think he handled the criticism that he was obviously going to get after trent Bridge very well too,’ said Stokes.
‘We win one game and we’re the best team around and we lose one and suddenly we’re the worst one. then we win the next one and we’re the best again.’
It is to be hoped for england’s sake that everybody is calling them the best team again after the 100th test at the oval.
l InveSTec is the title sponsor for Test cricket in england. See investec.com/cricket @Paul_NewmanDM