“I have always had the attitude that’it’s never over until it is over’.”
Says celebrity Ben Stokes, that turned belief into brilliance with a stupendous 135no which propelled England into some fantastic , series-levelling one-wicket victory.
Rob Key caught up with the all-rounder before the fourth Test at Old Trafford to relive one of the greatest Test comebacks ever from Stokes within his own words…
“These are the moments, I figure, that really test you with regard to where you are as a group. My shot was probably the worst of everybody, to be honest. It was absolutely horrible from walking out with a positive mindset but it came. I had been in a mindset of’if I get whatever here, I will attack it; they were really well that poor balls are not going to come together’.
“We had to eliminate the disappointment of that innings very quickly and turn our focus to bowling. We did well to bowl them out. Stuart Broad has performed 130 Tests but he obtained so revved up before we went outside and bowled. I have not seen him just like that he had been at the huddle for a long time although I have seen him put up to get an occasion plenty of times. I’m not going to repeat what he said but basically he said’like we’re currently defending 170 to remain in this Test match, we all need to bowl these guys’. He also got the wicket of all Warner straight away. He was geed up that he did celebrate; it turned out more like’I and I’m likely to set the stage for this ‘
“I have bowled long spells before in Test matches. The first four or five overs are the toughest because your body’s not going. You feel like you are running in very tough and whacking the ball down to there and everything becomes a great deal more easy, but you get. You truly feel like you bowling at 80 per cent and are running in but it is coming out. It got to a stage where Joe (Root) was similar to’one more?’ And that I said’yeah’. Subsequently’one more?’
Jofra (Archer) got cramp and I said’I’m still new; I’ll just keep going’. Then there was no possibility of Joe getting the ball out of my hand the ball was coming out exactly how I wanted it and because everything felt good running to the crease. Those are moments when you have a opportunity to stand up and really show what you are about and allowing Australia understand that though you are ahead we’re not likely to offer you a sniff.”
“I feel that the most nervous I’ve ever been was watching Joe Root and Joe Denly bat; it only came over me all the sudden. I had to go into the changing room and get a towel and set my head in itI simply started biting the thread all . I think they got to a stage where they left it look so easy that your thoughts go. For around half-an-hour I’ve never ever felt that nervous ”
“Hazlewood struck me on the grill but I did not have the stem guards tied on properly that is why they blew away everywhere. When you get struck the doctor comes running out but that I was absolutely fine so I said’eliminate the area’.
He’d ask me whether he can do the concussion test, so that I said’yeah’ but me, being me’I’m not going to show anything here’. Australians asked me’are you okay?’ I didn’t say yes or no. But Rooty stated’you want to tie them on because if they are off and hit the stumps you’re going to be out’.”
“One thing that I try to say to the team when we talk about batting would be’have a strategy in mind about how you’re going to play prior to getting out there’. The time I waited to bat I was only saying to myself if I got in, only get through; do not fret about runs. Because that is the crucial point, keep as many wickets in hand for tomorrow. If Joe and you’re still there tomorrow we’ve got a great prospect of winning the Test match’.”
“It was quite evenly poised and we knew how crucial partnerships were going to be. Every 10 runs that we believed off that total then put pressure onto Australia. The partnership which I had Jonny (Bairstow) altered the momentum back towards us hugely since the runs came in rather quick moment.”
“I knew Jofra was going to get peppered so I just explained to him’how are you really planning to play with ‘ He went’and I am likely going to ditch the first few take them on’. I said’then take action if that’s what you’re going to do’. Subsequently Lyon arrived and he tried to strike him cover. I said’do not even look at pay since that’s what he’s attempting for you to do – it’s spinning. If you’re going to hit him, then hit him.’
He travelled four-four and I said to him’we have got nine the more’ and he went’yeah thanks’. He moved block, block. Then I had to return to him and say to what you are doing, anything you do here, even if you are going to block it or hit it, just devote.’ I really don’t wish to tell anyone how to play – unless it is Jack Leach!”
“It was fairly simple with Leachy because I told him I’d take five balls an over and he’d take one. There were a few occasions. He knew that he simply had to live and that runs were not the problem, which he did very, very well. During that partnership if somebody was to get got out, I would have liked it to be because it’s not his job to bat just like this. I didn’t want him to feel like he’d lost the match. I have been there at the World cup using Woody at which he felt like it was his fault – it’s not his job to be there in the end and find out his side home.”
“With 70 conducts needed it was clear I would need to strike boundaries – taking twos with everyone bat could require a long time; it might give Australia a lot of opportunities to bowl balls in Leachy. I was being clear on where I tried to hit my borders and not attempt anything new – stick for my strengths rather than fret about the fielders.
“Playing the reverse-sweep comes from playing with T20 cricket; I am practising all these shots. It’s something that I’ve practised and also have experienced success with. When Lyon was bowling out there at that stuff I did not understand where I was about to hit a border so I just banged it”
“It was not that I couldn’t see Leachy because I did not feel he could do it I just couldn’t watch. It was a matter to be a part of. After I was confronting I was alright but when I was not it was really worried. It was excruciating.”
“When it hit me it obviously flicked my front pad. You know as there is if you get hit on the mat you look outside and think’ this a batter outside’ however, hand on heart, once I missed it I thought’this will be going down leg’.
“Lots has been mentioned about DRS did make it wrong but that comes back to ensuring you use your reviews nicely. If Australia had had one left they’d have . My private opinion in terms of the way I felt when I got hitI really thought it was slipping down leg.”
“I have no idea why he began running down. Because I undo swept Lyon I had to get up and Leachy must have believed I was getting up to run. I only remember looking and he had been close and then watching Lyon drop the ball was going’what’s happening’.”
“Broady said it’s the very best video he has ever seen. The thing he loves about it is that me and Nathan Lyon know because the audience haven’t even got up 28, that the match is won.
“Our reactions reveal you the entire opposite ends of game in terms of emotion. It captured that brightly and the audience who had been there alive that the entire way through with us the players.”
“I was asking everyone’what was it like up in the changing room when that has been occurring’ since you want to understand what all of the lads were doing. All of the superstitions were coming out. Then they had the venture on an iPad from the room. So we just sat around seeing this. So that was pretty cool; even knowing what had happened, it was still quite a nervous watch”
“Leachy took JRoy’s glasses and then just reenacted exactly what he did. The bit I laughed was at the conclusion of the video where he goes’complete off it, Stokesy’.
“Momentum is enormous in sport, particularly in cricket. Both teams could have gone through many diverse emotions on this last moment. So we have got the assurance of knowng which we can win from everywhere we finished coming from top.
“We can carry that previous day we’d at Headingley into the very first day in Old Trafford but we know there are still two matches left. What we managed to do in Headingley will just be like it felt on that day if we are lifting the Ashes in the end of their Oval.”
View Ben Stokes: My Summer So Far on Tuesday on Sky Sports The Ashes, while day among this fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia is currently live on Sky Sports The Ashes from 10am on Wednesday.
It is possible to follow over-by-over commentary and in-play clips on our rolling site on skysports.com along with the Sky Sports app.
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