Stokes tells England: We are entertainers
Captain urges his side to be ‘more fearless’ at Headingley as fast bowler Jamie Overton comes in for injured Anderson
It is 11 years since England managed a clean sweep at home in a series longer than two Tests, and if they complete the whitewash against
New Zealand this week it will be achieved in style.
Ben Stokes has urged his team to be “even more fearless, positive and aggressive” and declared they are in the “entertainment business” rather than “sports business”. It is hard to see how they can be more aggressive than nine an over at Trent Bridge – perhaps by strapping knuckledusters to their batting gloves?
But it was wise to keep eyes peeled at nets yesterday, with the ball flying to all parts at times, and it was noticeable how long Brendon Mccullum spent chatting to the bowling group.
Headingley is a ground that rewards a full length. England bowled India out here last year for 78 and Pakistan in 2018 for two scores below 150 by pitching the ball up more than in any other Tests here since 2006. The wicket balls at Headingley are significantly fuller in length than anywhere else in England – almost a half a metre more than at Trent Bridge, Lord’s and Edgbaston – so it is not hard to imagine what Mccullum’s chat to the bowlers entailed.
Last year’s surface nipped, this one looks flat, Yorkshire no doubt wanting five days to fill empty coffers, and England also keen to continue their progress by winning on surfaces similar to those they will encounter overseas. The way England are batting under Mccullum would be a lot harder on a “green mamba” as well.
Jamie Overton provides Stokes with that extra menace with the short ball and his pace will be important if the pitch gives the bowlers little help. He replaces James Anderson ahead of twin Craig, who would have been the safer bet, but Stokes wants to be bold in selection, too. Anderson was part of the bowling group, and led discussions at times as Mccullum deferred to his knowledge, and while there are still good spells left in him, it is a good time to start the process of moving on and looking at Overton.
Anderson struggles to be a threat across a five-day match now – his second innings average over the past two years is in the 40s. Overton impressed Stokes when he was a bowling reserve in the Covid summer of 2020, bowling six overs of short, nasty stuff in the nets, and knows he has to widen his bowling pool with so many injuries. Expect Brydon Carse, another Durham fastbowling product, to play against South Africa.
When England beat India 4-0 in a four-match series 11 years ago they
went to No1 in the world rankings. Andrew Strauss’s team were an efficient winning machine but not entertainers, apart from when Kevin Pietersen fancied it.
Anderson and Stuart Broad embraced the “bowling dry” approach, restricting scoring and waiting for the opposition to make mistakes. It is not how this team work. But the main difference is that England had a world-class spinner in Graeme Swann, capable of taking wickets in the first innings. England do not have that now so they need the seamers to hunt for wickets by taking the risk-reward approach.
Stokes returns to Headingley for the first time since his 2019 heroics, having missed last year’s win over India because he was having a break for mental health reasons. How this ground badly needs another thrilling game to bring some joy to a besieged club.
Yorkshire officials have been anonymous at Headingley this week as they prepare to put on a Test match that was taken away when the Azeem Rafiq scandal broke last year, a move that threatened them with financial ruin. Day one is not fully sold out, but tomorrow and Saturday will be full houses.
It was with tone-deaf timing last week that the England and Wales Cricket Board released the news of its charges against unnamed individuals in the Yorkshire case, the morning after England’s stunning win in front of a full house on day five after fans scrambled to snap up free tickets. It lowered the mood around English cricket to arctic temperatures and showed the disconnect between the corporate arm of the ECB and the Test team.
There is never a good time to release bad news, but just waiting another day or so would have given England the chance to bask in the glory which they deserved after 18 months of misery. Now the game is relying on this team again to lift the sport and Stokes recognises the responsibility the players have to make sure they are entertainers.
“We’ve got a responsibility with what we do out on the field to attract people, but we also know we are role models off the field as well. All we can do is go out there and perform to our abilities,” he said.
“There’s a reason why we had a full house on day five at Trent Bridge. I feel like people want to come and watch the brand of cricket we’re playing. My challenge to the lads this week is to go and do it again.”