‘Hopefully, the result is that we take the urn back, but the most important thing is that — whatever happens — you will be entertained.’
These were Ben Stokes’s words ahead of the Ashes. After the first Test in Edgbaston, where the match swung like a pendulum and ended against the English captain’s favour, he can turn back and ask, ‘Were you not?’
From the declaration on the first day just to get under Australia’s skin to setting those bizarre field placements as per traditional Test cricket tantrums, Stokes kept his word.
However, in the end, the game turned out to be the other skipper’s. Pat Cummins scored the winning runs, erasing the ghosts of Edgbaston from 2005, and his 44 is now etched in record books.
The game, in itself, was the battle of innovation and grit. England pro-acted, Australia reacted. England, and their ‘Bazball’, was different, and Australia used a more traditional style.
There can be questions still. Did Stokes need to declare on the first day? Could they have been a bit more precautionary and batted for longer in the second innings? What would have happened if Stokes had taken that Nathan Lyon catch in Superman fashion? What if Root did not miss those two caught and bowled?
Lots of ifs and buts, and expectedly so. In the end, Stokes, expectedly, had no regrets.
“We are not a results-driven team, but we are absolutely devastated. The lads are in pieces up there. But if that’s not attracting people to the game we love then I don’t know what will. In terms of what we put into this week, taking the game on from ball one, it would have been easy to play it a bit safer but we didn’t do that, not one individual. That’s something I’m very proud of,” Stokes’s words were just as much as expected.
Ricky Ponting, the former Aussie skipper, saw the heroics of the newest Australian Test captain’s heroics from the commentary box, questioned whether England would question their approach going into Lord’s.
Stokes, before the series, reiterated several times that they would not. And it’s hard to accept the supposition that a defeat, by that narrow a margin against the World Test Champions, would see him and Brendan McCullum change their way of viewing the game.
The entertainment starts again on June 28. England want the urn. Australia have it and are in the lead. The stage is set at Lord’s. Cricket, after winning the first match, you are welcome.
