LONDON 14 June (Online): Ben Stokes is well aware of the threat posed by World Test Championship winners Australia but says England have \u201cfound something that works\u201d and will not back down from their high-risk, high-reward style of play in the upcoming Ashes series.<\/p>\n
Stokes and coach Brendon \u201cBaz\u201d McCullum have ushered in a fearless approach that has injected fresh excitement into Test cricket with England winning 11 of their last 13 Tests under the duo.
\nStokes ruled out discarding that \u201cBazball\u201d approach in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston from Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know the threat that Australia pose, no matter who they are playing against, they are a very good team but we\u2019ve found something that works and has been successful,\u201d Stokes told British media. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t change with the opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australia crushed India by 209 runs in the WTC final at The Oval on Sunday and have not parted with the Ashes since reclaiming the urn in 2017-18.
\nStokes said there was no point in adopting a more measured approach against their arch-rivals. \u201cNothing is going to change because we\u2019ve had unbelievable success with it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we were to change anything from the last 12 months because we find ourselves in an Ashes series, then anything from the last 12 months will have been completely pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n
A one-word message from Stokes, after first-choice spinner Jack Leach had been ruled out of all five Ashes Tests against Australia, was all it took to bring slow-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali back into England\u2019s red-ball set-up.<\/p>\n
Moeen said Stokes was the only England captain who could have persuaded him to come out of Test retirement.
\nAnd the left-hander could now be set for a return to Test cricket at Edgbaston, in his home city of Birmingham, when the Ashes series starts. <\/p>\n
\u201cStokesy messaged me with a question mark \u2014 \u2018Ashes?\u2019,\u201d Moeen told reporters at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
\nMoeen said he had not heard the news about Leach, who has a back injury, and thought Stokes was joking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the news came through and I had a chat with him,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was it. It\u2019s the Ashes. To be part of it would be amazing.\u201d
\nMoeen, who turns 36 on Sunday, last played Test cricket in September 2021.
\nBut his developing relationship with Stokes \u2014 the pair were together with Chennai Super Kings during this year\u2019s Indian Premier League \u2014 proved the difference.<\/p>\n
Asked if there was any other captain who could have persuaded him to change his mind, Moeen replied: \u201cProbably not, no.\u201d
\nA powerful batsman as well as an off-spinner, Moeen has played 64 Tests for England, taking 195 wickets and scoring 2,914 runs.<\/p>\n
But Australia have proved tough opponents for Moeen, with his career bowling average shooting up from 36.66 to 64.65 in Ashes cricket.
\nNevertheless, he said he is relishing the chance to be involved as England bid for a first Ashes series win since 2015.<\/p>\n
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has backed openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja to rebound in the Ashes after the pair managed only four runs in partnership during the WTC final.<\/p>\n
Khawaja had a forgettable test at The Oval, dismissed for a duck and 13, while Warner was caught behind for one after his promising first innings of 43.<\/p>\n
Australia struggled to score runs at the top of the order during the 2019 Ashes series, with Warner dismissed by Stuart Broad seven times and finishing with an average 9.50.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Davey moved well in the first innings (against India),\u201d McDonald told Australian media. \u201cHe got strangled down the leg side. You look at that, and you say \u2018a little bit of luck there and potentially that\u2019s a bigger score\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the way he moved, the way he played is exactly what we want.\u201d
\nKhawaja was dropped after three Tests in the 2019 Ashes but the stylish lefthander has piled on the runs since his recall to the squad for the Sydney Test against England in January 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cUzzie\u2019s last two years speak for themselves. There\u2019s going to be failure points for any batters and he\u2019s had one,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s any less prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON 14 June (Online): Ben Stokes is well aware of the threat posed by World Test Championship winners Australia but says England have \u201cfound something that works\u201d and will not back down from their high-risk, high-reward style of play in the upcoming Ashes series. Stokes […]<\/p>\n
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