Ben Stokes needs the help of Joe Root and his other top batsmen to keep Ashes alive. Photo: Getty Images/Richard Heathcote
This time, England can't just trust her grimacing giant captain. Ben Stokes, already suffering from knee and glute injuries, has done more than enough to pull his fickle team out of a quagmire when he was semi-form at best. Twice in a week, he conjured the most incredible strokes to keep the urn within reach, first with his mesmerizing 155 in Lorde, and then with 80 to revive hope here in Headingley, just when all seemed lost.
Now it is imperative that the highest order is delivered. Throughout the series, Zach Crawley tended to give his wicket cheaply after playing himself, while Ben Duckett's form fluctuated, with his 98 and 83 in the cricket house marked by two cheap dismissals at Edgbaston and another at Leeds. It was this maddening picture, which, combined with the recent brainwashing of Harry Brook and Joe Root, paved the way for Stokes to embark on his rescue mission alone.
They can be exciting, but parts of Stokes' late heroism are too unreliable to be supported. Two in five days: that was ridiculous enough. Expecting a third would be simply presumptuous. Even Moin Ali, though amazed at the way Stokes took England from 87 to 5 to 237 overall, admitted it. “This is the situation above all,” he said. “Ben loves these situations, he thrives in them. But we cannot rely on it all the time. We have very good players, dangerous players that we just need to come to the party. Ben plays brilliantly, but the other players have problems.”
Crowley got off to a good start in the soft evening sunlight on the third day of the third Test, punishing Pat Cummins in one innings in a row with a powerful wrist shot through a midwicket of four. Duckett did the same, presenting a full-face bat to send an overloaded ball right past the Australian captain to the other boundary. Such is the wonder of Baseball when it works: the ability of English rookies to quickly and decisively attack an intimidating 251 target.
Every wicket from today&# 39;s Ashes Action … in 90 seconds! ⏰ 👇 pic.twitter.com/jIpk4bDyrX
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
At 27, a promising site was already laid behind the gate. But they cannot afford even short-term complacency. While Brooke and Ruth are both great technicians in their very different ways, both show disturbing signs of insecurity. Brook's readiness for the coming battle is of particular concern, as his fondness for pull shots indicates that he takes the Major League Baseball sticker on his bat too literally. Even Root's normally serene mindset was shaken as one fine century in Birmingham was replaced by a series of uncharacteristic failures.
The entire first quartet must regain their poise and self-confidence if England does not want to rely again on Stokes, their waddling talisman. Recent evidence suggests that this is within their capabilities. Take the scenes on this field last summer where Ruth, Johnny Bairstow and Ollie Pope had England hunted for 296 against New Zealand by losing just three wickets. What England would give now for a mirror image of that performance. Stokes served as a savior often enough. Now it's up to the supporting cast to take some of the pressure off their wounded leader.
Rarely can there be such an important day in the careers of Root, Brooke and Bairstow in their home district. But will they be able to call the bets? Only a reckless person would doubt Root, who didn't lose his status as the best English batsman of his time just because of a few rash decisions. With Brooke and Bairstow, perspectives are harder to discern.
Brook looked uncertain amidst the seething cauldron of Cinder fighting. Barstow certainly has what it takes to act as the extraordinary English hunter who a year ago excelled in that role both against the Kiwis and against India. But on his return from a serious leg injury, he is almost unaware that he is ready for an encore. This time, the people at the top have to do business, not give Stokes the heart of another nerve cutter.
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