Stokes Proud as England “Hold Firm” Amid Fierce Ashes Criticism
Ben Stokes leads England to a gritty Ashes win at the MCG, ending an 18-match drought in Australia and silencing critics with pure resilience.
England captain Ben Stokes says he is proud of the way his players "held strong" and won the fourth Ashes Test despite a wave of criticism before the match.
Failure to capitalize on promising positions after losing the Ashes in just 11 days of cricket, questions over their preparation and attitude, and off-field issues related to drinking were some of the headlines that marred the tour.
But a thrilling four-wicket victory inside two days in Melbourne, in front of jubilant travelling supporters, meant England avoided a clean sweep in the Ashes.
Stokes said he was "incredibly proud" of the way his team responded to secure the win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending an 18-match winless run in Australia.
"I couldn't be any prouder of the way we've held strong as a group and individually after everything we've had to face in this game," Stokes told Test Match Special.
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"As leaders in sporting teams and organizations, you get tested in different ways.
"This was a test of character, a test of leadership qualities. The way we've gone about it, not only publicly, but in terms of all the media and all that kind of stuff."
Stokes said his players did not feel distracted by the extra scrutiny following the controversial mid-series break in Noosa.
He added: "The way the leadership group – Baz [Brendon McCullum], myself, the other coaches and the senior players – were able to keep the focus as much as possible on the cricket was crucial." “Once you cross that line onto the field, you put everything else aside and your focus shifts to what you have to do.
“It’s those moments when you’re not on the field that things start to creep into your mind. I think the way we were able to maintain our focus on the cricket was crucial to getting the result in our favour.”
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Before this victory, Stokes had played 12 Tests in Australia without a win, while England teammate Joe Root’s streak was 17 Tests.
Both Stokes and Root are 34 years old, and this is likely their last Ashes tour of Australia.
Stokes said winning at the MCG was a “fantastic feeling” and added that the victory “meant a lot” to both of them.
“I’ve been on a few tours before where things haven’t gone so well, so to finally get a result in our favour after such a long time is a very special feeling,” he explained.
“At the end, when all the lads came out of the dressing room, we [he and Root] hugged and said, ‘Finally, we’ve finally won a match.’ It was a good feeling.”
Stokes said his team is now determined to finish the series with another win in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which starts on Sunday, January 4.
“We’ve still got one more game to go, and our focus hasn’t shifted from that,” Stokes added. “We had two games left, and we wanted to get results in both of them.
“We won’t let this feeling of victory get carried away.
“We’ve got a few days to rest and recover before Sydney, but we’ll go into Sydney with the same mindset we had before this game, to try and win another game of cricket.”
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