The challenge for the Ben Stokes-led team, according to former England captain Nasser Hussain, will be to maintain their bravery even when they are in danger. The Ashes 2023 will take place from June 16 to July 31, and England will be the host country. Before the Ashes, England and Ireland will play a one-off test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. It will start on Thursday, June 1, a week before the Ashes.
Even though Australia is their opponent in the five-match series, the captain of England says that his team will keep doing things the same way. Since Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as captain and coach of the England Test team, they have pushed on a more aggressive approach, which has led to good results over the past ten months.
Nasser Hussain thinks that how England does in the Ashes this summer will be a good measure of their summer. He went on to say that the hardest thing for the leader and coach would be to keep playing as if nothing is at stake, even though they know it is.
Nasser Hussain will keep playing as if it doesn’t matter what Stokes and McCullum do.
This comment is interesting because it sounds like, “What if England loses some wickets early but still keeps up the pace of the innings?” Not long ago, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc also asked the hosts a very important question. He used an example to question how long the “Bazball” could be used in the game. He asked what would happen if the English team was 50/5 at some point in the game.
“How England does in the Ashes will make or break their summer,” Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “The biggest challenge for Stokes and McCullum will be to keep playing as if it doesn’t matter, even though they know deep down that it does.”
He went on to say that, for now, the focus should be on getting back to the way of thinking that could change how Test cricket is played. The 55-year-old went on to say that England might have a very interesting summer if Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum do well.
“For now, it’s about getting back to the way of thinking that could change how Test cricket is played. If Stokes and McCullum can do that, it could be a great summer,” the man from Chennai said.