Ben Stokes has set his sights on joining the exclusive group of England captains who have triumphed in an Ashes series on Australian soil. The all-rounder leads his side in the opening Test in Perth on Friday, desperate to end a long run of failure Down Under and reclaim the urn.
England have not won a Test in Australia across their last three tours, suffering 13 defeats and two draws. Yet Stokes and his squad believe they can emulate the achievements of the 2010-11 team, who won 3-1. Only five post-war England captains have tasted Ashes success in Australia, with just one - Ray Illingworth in 1970-71 - regaining the urn from an Australian side already in possession.
Speaking two days before the series opener in front of a sold-out 60,000 crowd, Stokes acknowledged the weight of the occasion. “I do understand how big a series this is,” he said. “I’ve come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as one of the lucky few captains from England who have come here and been successful.” He added: “This is our chance to create our own history and it is up to us how that looks. So, yeah, we’re putting it all out there; looking it in the eyes; taking it on; not being afraid of the challenge that we have ahead of us.”
Australia will be led by Steve Smith in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is sidelined with a back complaint. Stokes, meanwhile, has returned to full fitness after a torn shoulder muscle sustained during the drawn series against India. In his final innings at Old Trafford, he scored a century and took five wickets, and he is determined to maintain that all-round form. “It’s nice taking a five-for and getting a hundred in the same game, that felt pretty good,” he said. “I know how much of an impact it makes towards the team and how it balances the side out.”
Stokes has committed his future to England by signing a new two-year central contract, rejecting the lure of franchise cricket. “It was a very easy decision,” he said. “I want to eke everything I can out of this body and I will do that in an England shirt.”
