Ashes 2015: England's Ben Stokes craves history at Oval
- Published
England v Australia - fifth Test |
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Venue: The Kia Oval. Dates: 20-24 August. |
Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW, online, tablets, mobiles and BBC Sport app. Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website. |
All-rounder Ben Stokes wants England to "put another nail into Australia's coffin" by winning the fifth Ashes Test and creating some cricket history.
England have regained the Ashes and lead 3-1 but have never before won four Tests in a home series with Australia.
The fifth and final Test starts at The Oval on Thursday, 20 August.
"We want to capitalise on all this good cricket we're playing. We don't want to win 3-2, we want to win 4-1," Stokes, 24, told the Tuffers and Vaughan show.
"To walk away with a 4-1 win after getting written off at the start of the series would be great. No England side has won 4-1 at home so to win the Ashes back and be the only side to win four Tests would be absolutely amazing.
"We want to put another nail in the coffin that we have already built."
Stokes took 6-36 in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge as England thrashed Australia by an innings and 78 runs to regain the Ashes they had lost with a 5-0 defeat down under in 2013-14.
BBC Test Match Special pundit Phil Tufnell |
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"Ben Stokes is someone you want in your side. |
"He chases everything, can catch, can bat wherever you want and when you are in the trenches you can throw him the ball and say 'get us out of this'. |
"Australia will look to come fighting back but I'm not sure they have got anything left in the tank." |
'Stokes thinks he is invincible'
Former England bowler Steve Harmison, who played alongside Stokes for Durham, believes new England head coach Trevor Bayliss's more relaxed approach has helped the all-rounder find his best form.
"Bayliss has given him responsibility and let him be his own man. The relaxed mentality of Bayliss is opposite to the more intense mentality of Peter Moores and that's the difference," said Harmison, also on the Tuffers and Vaughan Show.
"I've known Ben since he was 15 and when I first saw him I phoned up Andrew Flintoff and asked if he was any relation of his because they have the same mannerisms.
"Ben hits the ball as hard as possible and will bowl all day as hard as he can. He runs after everything, even when it is a lost cause, and throws himself into advertising hoardings - he thinks he is invincible.
"You have to embrace someone like that. He will make mistakes but will win more games than he loses."
'I didn't have a real role in the team'
Despite only being in his mid 20s, Stokes has already experienced significant highs and lows in international cricket.
After a first-ball duck in a one-day international in the West Indies, he punched a locker and suffered a broken wrist that kept him out of the World Twenty20.
He made three successive Test ducks against India in 2014, did not play in the series against Sri Lanka and erratic form in ODIs led to him missing the 2015 World Cup, before he re-established himself in the side in all formats.
"I have been up and down the order and played because I could bat, bowl and field but I didn't have a real role in the team," added Stokes.
"Thankfully when Farby (Paul Farbrace) got the job as interim coach he gave me a chance again. That was something I wanted - I wanted to be batting at number six and be the fourth seamer."
'Cook's captaincy has got better'
Stokes also praised England captain Alastair Cook, who faced heavy criticism after the 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.
"I think his captaincy has got better, but that has come from him being back to his best form," said Stokes.
"Off the field he does seem to be a more relaxed character and that does help.
"He knows what to expect from his players and he doesn't have to tell me how he wants me to perform as he knows I will give 100 per cent commitment in everything I do."
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