Stokes: England needs to assemble a team capable of winning in Australia.

Ben Stokes believes that for England to be able to lead a squad that can “not just compete with Australia, but beat them” in 18 months, the country’s Test team growth must start in this summer’s home series against the West Indies.

Speaking at Lord’s on the eve of the opening Test, Stokes acknowledged that telling James Anderson that his 188-match career must end this week had been a difficult one. But he conceded that England had to step up their preparations for their next major overseas test in Australia, which is likely to be the yardstick by which the success of Stokes’ time as captain is measured, because of the flaws shown in their recent 4-1 series defeat in India.

“I’m not going to lie: I want us to be able to take a squad out there that I know is going to go at Australia,” Stokes stated.

“When we go out there, I’ll have been captain for about four years. With a side that is capable of not just competing with Australia but also defeating them, I want to be able to go into the game knowing that we have done everything within our power throughout these past eighteen months.”

As acknowledged by Stokes, the brevity of his remarks contrasted with the ‘live in the present’ philosophy that had served as the cornerstone of the bazball period. But in the four months after the failures of the India trip, England’s priorities have slightly changed, with Anderson set to join Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow from that original, genre-bending team.

“It’s probably the first time you’ve heard me speak like that about something so far away, but again it goes back to our progression as a side,” Stokes said. “I want this team to progress over the 18 months, so I’m focusing on that, because I want us to go out to Australia and win the Ashes back.”

This desire, in turn, revealed a deeper weakness in England’s recent performance. Despite the excitement that Bazball has generated for cricket fans, Stokes reacted angrily when it was pointed out to him that England hasn’t really won any of their three complete series in the previous 18 months, even after their thrilling home Ashes campaign last summer.

Their last series victory, other from a ten-wicket victory in a one-off Test match against Ireland, came in December 2022 when they won a historic 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan.

“Let us just absorb that,” he murmured. “We won [the first Test] in New Zealand [in February 2022], but we lost the second Test by one run before the last four Tests in India.” We overcame a 2-0 deficit to tie the match at Old Trafford due to inclement weather. I believe that bringing up the fact that we haven’t won a series in that period of time is a little excessive.

“It’s true that the last four Indian matches were really disappointing, but approaching the situation that way is a little inappropriate. Winning a Test match involves so many different factors. Although our goal is to win, we concentrate on how we play cricket because we know that this approach brings out the best in both us as a team and as individuals.

One remarkable high point in England’s India series came when Ollie Pope’s 196 in the second innings enabled them overcome a 190-run deficit in the first Test at Hyderabad. Tom Hartley then finished his debut with 7 for 62 to win the match. Stokes said as much as he promised to learn from the fact that England had their chances after that, but ultimately had to blink at crucial points during the campaign.

“We know if we play to our capabilities, we will have given ourselves the best chance of winning that game,” he stated. Since India, we’ve probably gained a better grasp of how to handle pressure when the opponent may be in the lead. How can we overcome it and place it back on them?

Sometimes something goes wrong before we realise, ‘If this is going to happen again, how do we handle that?'” However, it also involves realising that, as opposed to retreating and allowing them to set the terms, we must exert pressure once more on the opponent. We feel as a team and as individuals that we have a lot clearer attitude when we are applying pressure to the opposition.”

Stokes went on to say that he had sympathy for England’s players during the European Championship in Germany. They are scheduled to play the Netherlands on Wednesday night, having advanced to a historic third semifinal in four championships, but they continue to endure harsh criticism from an increasingly impatient public.

“It’s not surprising, is it?” stated Stokes. I want every English team to succeed in any sport, therefore as a professional athlete, I find it difficult to witness the criticism that football players have received and appear to receive on a regular basis.

“They’ve done what it took to get here—they’re in the semifinals of the European Championship. I’ve tried, along with Brendon, to just calm everyone down and stop the noise. The most crucial element is the dressing room.

It’s difficult to witness that kind of thing when you’re an outsider, like I am from the England football team, because you know that the team won’t play as well as they would like to under all the extra pressure and criticism.

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“I understand that the public wants to see English sports teams succeed, but I can’t always stand it when people are so ready to criticise them. However, I can appreciate it because I am aware of the nation’s strong desire to see its teams succeed.”