Ashes 2023: After ’emotionless’ draw in Manchester, Ben Stokes geared up to win 5th Test
By India Today Sports Desk: England captain Ben Stokes said the players were emotionless as he recalled a weird feeling that dominated the English dressing room after the drawn 4th Ashes Test against Australia in Manchester. However, Stokes said the mood in the camp has changed, knowing the importance of the 5th Ashes Test in which Australia will be eyeing a famous win and their first Ashes series victory away from home since 2001.
England were down and out after going 2-0 down in the Ashes series despite all the hype about their aggressive style of cricket, dubbed as Bazball. However, Ben Stokes’s side proved their naysayers wrong with an emphatic win over Australia in Leeds to spark hopes of a revival.
England were determined to level the series and set up a winner-takes-all decider in the final Test. However, the Manchester weather had other plans. Despite their dominance throughout the first three days of the Test, England’s hopes were washed away by the relentless rain on the final two days.
“Leaving Manchester after the game was done, I’ve never left the field, never left a game emotionless,” Stokes said on the eve of the 5th Ashes Test at The Oval in London.
“It was a really bizarre feeling the way the game petered out because of the weather. You sort of look back and wish maybe we either got beat or Australia managed to pull a draw off in that situation.
“Shaking hands with the umpires and the opposition at the end, you could see that from both sides, it was emotionless, Australia retaining the Ashes and us not being able to win it back. It was a flat feeling,” he added.
Australia, on the other hand, managed to retain the Ashes, thanks to the rain-induced draw. The Australian team had been trailing behind England in the fourth Test, but the rain came as a saving grace for them. With no play possible on the fifth day due to the torrential downpour, Australia was able to secure an unassailable 2-1 series lead.
ENGLAND GEARED UP FOR FINALE
The drawn match was a bitter pill to swallow for England, who had shown remarkable resilience and skill throughout the Test. They had posted a colossal 592 in their first innings, their highest Ashes innings total on home soil since 1985. However, their efforts were thwarted by the inclement weather, which allowed only 30 overs on the fourth day and completely washed out the final day.
However, Stokes said England are charged up to dominate Australia in the 5th Ashes Test and draw the series, much like they did at home in 2019.
The fifth and final Test of the Ashes will be played at The Oval and England named an unchanged XI for the series finale, putting faith in their senior bowler James Anderson who has been out of form.
“Putting the shirt on, walking out to represent my country, that’s all the emotion I need,” Stokes said.
“Everyone’s very aligned in terms of what we want to do. And I’m not someone who speaks for the sake of speaking. If I feel I need to say something then I will but I don’t think I need to this week, it’s pretty obvious what we need to go out and do.”
