Ashes 2023 | Stokes’ England emerge as The Boys to supernatural Australia

Here’s a story for you. A rag-tag bunch of misfits – some harbouring past losses, others whiling away their time without a purpose – meet a hardened soldier promising to take them to battle against all the evil that pervades their world. The leader is no saint or epitome, yet he has something many others would kill to possess – unreal conviction and unprecedented dedication to his cause. Ben Stokes may be no Billy Butcher, but his England side have managed to pull off what The Boys could not – bring down the seemingly infallible from their sky high peak.

Thus, Australia entered the ongoing Ashes well in red hot form and bursting with confidence. In their lineup, they have four batters in the top 10 of the ICC rankings – generational talent Steven Smith, his protege Marnus Labuschagne, Test opener magnifico Usman Khawaja, and counterattack specialist Travis Head. Most importantly, all four carry in their tank experience aplenty in English conditions. It speaks volumes when even the worst batter in the current side has over 8,000 runs to his name at an average of nearly 45. In the bowling department, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc undoubtedly rein as the most fearsome pace attack in the world, each possessing over 200 wickets, with Scott Boland to aide them who not long ago held the record for the best ever Test average. Nathan Lyon’s 496 scalps cap off that list, with wunderkind Todd Murphy as his understudy who wreaked havoc in India, even managing to outperform his world-class compatriot at times. The strength of the squad is such that Michael Neser did not even manage a place in the 17-member touring party, despite scoring two centuries and as many fifties in the ongoing County Championship at an average of 81 and 20 wickets in six outings.

On the other side of the line stood an English team with the same components that endured the horrific 4-0 thrashing two years ago, as 10 players from that squad retained their places for the 2023 affair. Add to that severe injuries to their only specialist Test spinner Jack Leach, express speedster Jofra Archer, as well as recurring issues to Mark Wood and recalled spinner Moeen Ali. The ruling out of Ollie Pope for the entire series due to a shoulder dislocation in the second Test only made matters worse, as did the inability of Ben Stokes to bowl due to chronic knee issues. Thus, a chasm inversely proportional to the size of the Ashes urn stood between Australia and England, meaning the former should have come in as overwhelming favourites for the five-match series. The visitors did live up to their reputation and took a 2-0 lead in the series, making a first away Ashes series victory in 22 years a tangible reality, yet the circumstances under which they came were odd, to say the least.

The wins did not come by embarrassing margins, neither were the odds massively tilted in Australia’s favour. Even though the rug was pulled from under England’s feet time and again by the sheer quality of the Australian side, a victory at Headingley was the final confirmation that they had found the only way they could tackle their rivals in the present circumstances: the revolutionary Bazball.

For all the criticism directed at the ‘philosophy’ propagated by and thus named in honour of head coach Brendon McCullum – large parts of them justified – Bazball was necessary to change the face of English cricket. The old ways had seen them slouch to just one win in 17 Tests and all evidence suggests that a wish to stick to the same would have undoubtedly led to a repeat of the 2021 saga, as showcased by India in the WTC final. Instead, England have not only pushed the Kangaroos to the edge, they have made it seem like they were the ones touted for triumph.

The first note of victory was sounded for England even before a ball was bowled in the series. Pat Cummins, expected to be the face of a defiant Australia, was immediately on the defensive as he positioned a man at deep backward point against Zak Crawley. By the third over, one boundary rider had become three, despite Cummins averaging a ridiculous 20.75 against the hosts. Unsurprisingly, Crawley eased into the game, ending up with a streaky 71-ball 63. 

Since when did ‘hopeful and ‘naive’ become the same thing? I mean, why would you get into this business if not to save the world? That’s all I have ever wanted.

How the English media interprets Bazball

The theory that England would fare any better if they toned down their aggressive instincts is merely a supposition. The Three Lions’ worst batting collapse came in the first session of the third Test’s second day, where they fell from 68/3 to 142/7 – losing Root, Bairstow, Ali and Woakes for just 74 runs. It seems to be no coincidence that their run rate in this phase read 3.19 – the worst in any session of batting for England in Ashes 2023. Similarly, the hosts decided to go gung-ho against the short-ball barrage at Lord’s even while their rivals threw caution to the wind, yet the results turned out to be equally horrific for either party. Notably, the Australian batters are much more well-suited to handling bounce given the nature of pitches Down Under, while the pace in their bowling attack makes their short deliveries much more venomous.

In fact, all England batters have benefitted since the change of leadership. Joe Root came under heavy criticism when he decided to reverse scoop the first ball after Lunch off Pat Cummins and embarassingly failed. Yet, it is this revitalized approach that led him to his first Ashes century in eight years, an unprecedented average of 58.56 under Stokes, and a claim to the title of the number one ranked Test batter. A Harry Brook would perhaps have been banished as spoiled goods under any other captain, given his extravagant shot selections and an ungodly Test strike rate of 94.31, yet in this regime he continues to thrive with an average of nearly 65.

A struggling English batting unit has found their second wind under the helm of Ben Stokes.

— SportsCafe (@IndiaSportscafe)

The daring nature of Stokes’ captaincy has been at the forefront time and again in the ongoing Ashes series, his impact the most evident in Leeds. Despite echoes to pick a proper spinner from County, Stokes stuck to his guns and fielded Ali at Headingley who once again delivered, managing the all-important scalps of Smith and Marnus in the second innings to virtually win the Test for his team. In contrast, Cummins refused to place trust in Todd Murphy despite the spinner’s efficient performance in the first innings, as the off-spinner only bowled two overs during the chase despite the captain running out of options.

Sometimes you get further with people by treating them like people.

Probably Stokes when thinking of team selection 

It was only fitting that the winning runs were hit by the phoenix Chris Woakes, a man whose Test career was dead until Stokes played God and offered resurrection. Even in the aftermath of his magnum opus, Woakes denied any comparisons to his captain but did admit he felt a bit akin to him during his heroic knock, further highlighting the sheer respect and admiration Stokes holds in the England dressing room.

Woody, you’ve done murder. Comparatively speaking, this will be a piece of cake.

Probably Ben Stokes to Mark Wood before his Headingley blitz following his antics with the ball

We can do whatever we want and no one can stop us. That is a good feeling. A really good feeling.

Probably Stokes in a press conference when asked about a glaring pitfall in his team's approach

The makings of Bazball are not enshrined in the elevation of the value of luxury goods but in the necessary optimization of basic resources. Stokes has simply taken Baz’ formula from a decade ago and managed to galvanize his troops to his mindset in a way the Kiwi never could.