For the man who has already taken England to unprecedented heights, Ben Stokes will once again shoulder the burden, aiming to lead his side to cricket’s ultimate summit: reclaiming the Ashes on Australian soil.
With career-defining knocks, the flame-haired all-rounder has consistently delivered on the grandest stages of the game, winning white-ball World Cups.
However, the 34-year-old’s status as one of England’s all-time greats would be undeniable if he led his country to Ashes victory over the course of the following seven weeks.
In the past 50 years, just three England captains have secured the urn in Australia; Andrew Strauss was the last one to do so in 2010–11.
“I’ve come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as one of the lucky few captains from England who have come here and been successful,” Stokes told media in Perth.
“We know it’s a huge task coming to Australia and everything that comes with that away from the field, on the field. It is a huge two-and-a-half months for us.”
Like always, defeating Australia would be one of England’s biggest triumphs.
Both Strauss’s 3-1 victory and Mike Gatting’s 2-1 win in 1986–87 were against modest Australian teams that were having difficulty rebuilding following the departure of champion players. In 1978–79, Mike Brearley defeated an Australian team devastated by a player exodus to World Series Cricket 5–1.
This Australia, however, is a different beast. The world’s best Test team has enough talent to send England home dissatisfied once more, despite the absence of captain Pat Cummins and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood for the first Test, as well as an aging squad profile overall.
To reclaim the urn, England will need to do something extraordinary. Stokes is that “something” for the majority of former players and commentators.
“I’ve got him as one who will stand out down here,” Australian former test quick Ryan Harris told Reuters.
“I think it’s his determination. If he’s back bowling the way he can, you can build your bowling attack around that. He bats against fast bowling and in bouncy conditions quite well. We’ve got to make sure we put him under pressure.”
It might be simpler to say than to do. Stokes has proven challenging to contain, with the exception of the last Ashes in Australia in 2021–2022, when he was hindered by injury and rusty following time out for a mental health break.
In 2013, he got eight wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the series finale and scored an incredible 120 at the WACA in just his second Test. Stokes was a bright spot throughout England’s terrible campaign, which ended with a 0-5 defeat.
He has been a pillar of defiance in an age of Australian domination, leading England to one of their greatest Ashes Test victories with 135 not out at Headingley in 2019—a sign of the “Bazball” revolution unleashed by his rise to captaincy.
Although Stokes hasn’t quite dominated an entire Ashes series like Ian Botham did in 1981 or Andrew Flintoff did in 2005, England will greatly benefit from his fitness and leadership alone throughout a complete series in Australia.
Stokes understands the significance of the Ashes for both his legacy and England as a whole, so he won’t play it down as just another series.
“This is our chance to create our own history. It’s up to us how that looks.
“I’m up for every Test series I play in, but I know this will probably be highlighted more than all the other series I’ve been a captain in.”
