‘Winning the Ashes would be Stokes’ greatest miracle’

England’s series victory over India was marred by seven runs.

Really, six. The final Test could have been won by one sweet connection from Gus Atkinson. England would have enjoyed a tie.

What can be learned from the extreme narrowness of the margin? Try not to lose one of your bowlers to a dislocated shoulder, and take your catches after making a hundred. Is it difficult to write a new coaching manual?

The Oval’s nipper reinforced what we already knew, above all.

England can defeat anyone with the help of Ben Stokes. They are vulnerable without him.

Other teams must deal with injuries or a lack of fitness. Without Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, India was a failure. However, the tourists comfortably defeated England 4-1 last year without Pant in the team in the two Tests that Bumrah did not play.

When asked if England are too dependent on him, Stokes simply replied, “No”.

Stokes is England’s beating heart, in fact. England lose their balance when he isn’t playing the all-action all-rounder. They lose their tactical vigor and focus without him as captain. wickets, runs, and fielding. He represents his team in person. Benball, not Bazball, is probably the proper name for it.

One might wonder how Stokes, the arch rivalry, handled watching the finale of Monday go down in the air. The man who orchestrated their final one-wicket victory in a Test was England’s patron saint of lost causes.

The Ashes are up for grabs for England. Since winning a series there in 2010-11, they have the best chance of succeeding in Australia. It’s a low bar, don’t you think? They have won none of their 15 Test matches in Australia over the past 14 years, losing 13 of them, drawing one, and losing none.

Ben Stokes has both a chance to win and lose. Consider this: Of the England squad that travels to Australia, none will have ever experienced victory in a Test there, and only five will have participated in a Test there.

One Test hundred will be stacked up against them, and that will be Stokes’. Stokes and Mark Wood will be the only bowlers to record a five-wicket haul in Australia. Wood won’t have played a test in 15 months if he is fit for November.

Stokes has a clear task ahead. He needs to play like Ian Botham, captain like Mike Brearley, and maintain his form after suffering from a shoulder injury. The hardest part is probably in the last section. Due to injuries, he hasn’t played in all of England’s previous four Test matches.

He has a history of turning water into wine (or whatever he’s drinking these days) after claiming to have cut back on alcohol. The 2019 Headingley Test and the 2019 World Cup Final. The 2022 T20 World Cup final in Cape Town. In 2023, Headingley hosted The Enrageous Hundred at Lord’s and again in the same year. This year, Lord.

Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ben Duckett will lend their support. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope must demonstrate unwavering devotion to the kind of patience they have received. Although Jacob Bethell’s injury may have limited him to two first-class games by November, England’s batting is strong. When Jamie Smith struggled to maintain his form in his first five-test series as a wicketkeeper-batter, he will need to demonstrate better durability against India.

Who will be seated when the music stops on the plane to bowl with? It’s exciting to see Wood and Jofra Archer working together on a fiery Perth pitch, aiming to match Australia’s heavy artillery.

In the best case scenario, they will be supported by Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and Atkinson, with potential for a tearaway bolter. They must be managed properly if England is truly capable of bringing their most dangerous weapons to Australia. A successful campaign start must be struck in the right direction.

The Liam Dawson debate appears to have been overturned for the spinner. Shoaib Bashir, according to Ricky Ponting, is the closest thing England has to Nathan Lyon. Enough said, folks.

England’s preparation, or lack thereof, will cause some concern. Before the first Test, they will face their own Lions team in one warm-up game. It is important to keep in mind that England frequently wins the first series of tests before losing the last. Sixth consecutive series won the series opener against India, and they also lost the sixth-straight finale.

The biggest challenge will be removing the noise from Australia, which is already present. Over the next three months, it will only become louder. David Warner, Steve Smith, and Lynn have all piped up. Only a short while will pass before Bluey the dog, Ned Kelly, and Kylie Minogue have their say.

However, Australians are notorious for being reluctant to rebel. They did in 2010-11.

Over their batting, especially in the top three, Australia has some questions to answer. Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Sam Konstas, and Cameron Green, a fading veteran, are currently its members. Beyond that, Alex Carey has recovered from the woes that came with Jonny Bairstow’s “stuffing” in 2023, and Smith is the best Ashes batter since Don Bradman, and Travis Head is the best all-format batter in the world.

Their bowling, which includes Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Lyon, is their super-strength.

With a Test bowling average of 16.53, which is the best of any seamers since 1914, they can call on Scott Boland. He still managed a score of 2 3 in his two Test matches against the Bazballers in England in 2023.

In summary, Australia’s bowling is better, while England’s is better at it. Because Australia is at home, Bowlers are typically the series’ favorites, so they will start as favorites.

Stokes is present in England, though.

The first Test will take place on November 21 in Perth, with 108 days left until then. 108 days of pondering Glenn McGrath’s score prediction and Stokes’ shoulder. 108 days of trying to work when you’re sleep deprived and refusing Christmas with your in-laws because it conflicts with the Boxing Day Test. 108 days of comparing scores from the Sheffield Shield and hoping Archer showers safely. 108 days of pondering England’s ability.