Former England cricketer Michael Atherton believes that Ben Stokes will face his hardest problem as captain, discovering a technique to inspire his gamers forward of the Lord’s Check following a heavy defeat at Edgbaston in opposition to India within the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Main into the sequence, a lot of the media chatter in England had centered across the Ashes, with a number of former gamers treating the India sequence as simply preparation for the marquee sequence in opposition to Australia. Nevertheless, the narrative has shifted dramatically after the 336-run loss in Birmingham, making the rest of the sequence much more vital.
“Within the three years that Ben Stokes has captained England, it’s laborious to suppose that he has confronted a sterner problem than over the subsequent two days, as he contemplates how you can raise his gamers for the third Check at Lord’s. Will probably be an enormous take a look at of his management, and his personal psychological and bodily resilience,” Atherton wrote in his The Occasions column.
Atherton underlined the significance of the subsequent two days main as much as the third Check at Lord’s, suggesting they may very well be pivotal for England’s response beneath Stokes’ management. He referenced Stokes’ personal phrases previous to the second Check, utilizing them to spotlight the distinction in England’s efficiency. He described the heavy defeat at Edgbaston as punishment for England’s method. The previous England captain additionally referred to as for a few modifications to the taking part in XI for the Lord’s Check.
“It isn’t laborious to think about, then, how he have to be feeling now. There was a spot of seven days between the primary and second Exams… The three days that Stokes used to close himself off from the world after Leeds for his personal profit, are basically the times he should use now to rally his gamers. His workload at Edgbaston was not dissimilar,” Atherton wrote.
“He spent 25 overs longer within the area; he bowled 9 overs fewer and batted 16 minutes much less. Defeat, after all, exacerbates issues. If he was feeling knackered after a win at Leeds and with a seven-day break, how should he have been feeling on Monday morning with the Lord’s Check three days away?,” he added.
Jofra Archer is on the comeback path from damage, whereas fellow pacer Gus Atkinson can be nearing full health after being sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring subject sustained in opposition to Zimbabwe. Atkinson’s return may very well be a well timed increase for England, particularly given his spectacular document at Lord’s, the place he has claimed 19 wickets at a mean of simply 10.94 from two Check matches.
“I’d maintain religion with the batting and clean up the seam assault, bringing in [Jofra] Archer and [Gus] Atkinson for Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse,” Atherton concluded.
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