Latest news with #Stokes'
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Things we learned from Eng's rout of Zim
England launched their home season with an innings and 45-run thrashing of Zimbabwe in a one-off Test at Trent Bridge on Saturday. A match scheduled for four days was all over before tea on the third, with England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir taking a Test-best 6-81 after Zimbabwe were made to follow-on. But what is the importance of such a result for England ahead of the sterner challenges that surely await them in an upcoming five-Test series with cricket powerhouse India? Below AFP Sport examines three key talking points that emerged from a largely lopsided contest in Nottingham. All-rounder Stokes If Ben Stokes's Test career continues on its present path – a batting average of 35 and a bowling average of 32 – some future fans may wonder what all the fuss was about. But the raw figures alone will never tell the whole story when it comes to the England captain's priceless ability as a game-breaker. At Trent Bridge, the all-rounder was playing his first game of the year in any form of cricket following his latest bout of hamstring surgery. He rushed back from a similar injury last year and was unable play a full part with the ball. But in Nottingham, with Zimbabwe in relatively comfort at 187-3 in their first innings, it was lively seam and swing bowler Stokes who took two wickets for no runs in 11 balls to leave the tourists struggling at 199-5, with the follow-on now all but assured. Stokes' performance was perhaps the biggest plus point for England out of the whole game. Not only is he an inspirational figure in his own right, Stokes' sympathetic treatment of Bashir was also central to the bowler putting a poor start to the county season behind him with a match-clinching return. Top-order cash inSeveral things can be true at once: It was a welcome sign for England that all of their top three batsmen made hundreds in a huge first-innings total of 565-6 declared that paved the way for victory. Yet it was equally true those runs were scored on a good pitch against an utterly outclassed Zimbabwe attack that was further weakened when paceman Richard Ngarava left the field with a back injury after bowling just nine overs. Nevertheless, openers Zak Crawley (124) and Ben Duckett (140) have often been accused of a lack of ruthlessness, while vice-captain Ollie Pope's 171 came amid speculation his place at number three was under threat when Jacob Bethell returns from franchise duty in the Indian Premier League. Crawley's hundred was just his fifth in 54 Tests. But Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum's faith in the 27-year-old Kent right-hander appears unshakeable, with his stunning Ashes 189 at Old Trafford two years ago still fresh in the memory of team management as they build towards a 2025/26 Test series in Australia. Pace project concerns England's Sam Cook unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of Zimbabwe's Ben Curran (unseen) on the second day at Trent Bridge. England have set great store in assembling a battery of fast bowlers, but the likes of express quicks Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone – none of whom played in Nottingham – have too often been injured. And there were few reasons for any India batsman to be unduly worried by how England's pace trio at Trent Bridge – Sam Cook, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue – struggled to impose themselves on a placid pitch where 21-year-old opener Brian Bennett broke the record for the fastest Test hundred by a Zimbabwe batsman with a 97-ball century. Test debutant Cook, an unusually conventional pick by the current England set-up in that his selection was a reward for years of consistent county form with Essex rather than an educated 'hunch' finished with match figures of 1-119. It was a stark reminder of the gap left in the attack by the retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England's all-time two leading Test bowlers with a combined 1,308 wickets between them.
France 24
24-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Three things we learned from England's rout of Zimbabwe
A match scheduled for four days was all over before tea on the third, with England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir taking a Test-best 6-81 after Zimbabwe were made to follow-on. But what is the importance of such a result for England ahead of the sterner challenges that surely await them in an upcoming five-Test series with cricket powerhouse India? Below AFP Sport examines three key talking points that emerged from a largely lopsided contest in Nottingham. Stokes underlines his all-round worth If Ben Stokes's Test career continues on its present path -- a batting average of 35 and a bowling average of 32 -- some future fans may wonder what all the fuss was about. But the raw figures alone will never tell the whole story when it comes to the England captain's priceless ability as a game-breaker. At Trent Bridge, the all-rounder was playing his first game of the year in any form of cricket following his latest bout of hamstring surgery. He rushed back from a similar injury last year and was unable play a full part with the ball. But in Nottingham, with Zimbabwe in relatively comfort at 187-3 in their first innings, it was lively seam and swing bowler Stokes who took two wickets for no runs in 11 balls to leave the tourists struggling at 199-5, with the follow-on now all but assured. Stokes' performance was perhaps the biggest plus point for England out of the whole game. Not only is he an inspirational figure in his own right, Stokes' sympathetic treatment of Bashir was also central to the bowler putting a poor start to the county season behind him with a match-clinching return. Top-order cash in Several things can be true at once: It was a welcome sign for England that all of their top three batsmen made hundreds in a huge first-innings total of 565-6 declared that paved the way for victory. Yet it was equally true those runs were scored on a good pitch against an utterly outclassed Zimbabwe attack that was further weakened when paceman Richard Ngarava left the field with a back injury after bowling just nine overs. Nevertheless, openers Zak Crawley (124) and Ben Duckett (140) have often been accused of a lack of ruthlessness, while vice-captain Ollie Pope's 171 came amid speculation his place at number three was under threat when Jacob Bethell returns from franchise duty in the Indian Premier League. Crawley's hundred was just his fifth in 54 Tests. But Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum's faith in the 27-year-old Kent right-hander appears unshakeable, with his stunning Ashes 189 at Old Trafford two years ago still fresh in the memory of team management as they build towards a 2025/26 Test series in Australia. Pace project concerns England have set great store in assembling a battery of fast bowlers, but the likes of express quicks Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone -- none of whom played in Nottingham -- have too often been injured. And there were few reasons for any India batsman to be unduly worried by how England's pace trio at Trent Bridge -- Sam Cook, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue -- struggled to impose themselves on a placid pitch where 21-year-old opener Brian Bennett broke the record for the fastest Test hundred by a Zimbabwe batsman with a 97-ball century. Test debutant Cook, an unusually conventional pick by the current England set-up in that his selection was a reward for years of consistent county form with Essex rather than an educated 'hunch' finished with match figures of 1-119. It was a stark reminder of the gap left in the attack by the retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England's all-time two leading Test bowlers with a combined 1,308 wickets between them.
South Wales Guardian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
One more place to go – Ben Stokes targets top spot in Test rankings for England
Sir Andrew Strauss was the last England skipper to reach the summit back in 2011, holding the title for less than a year, but the annual update of the International Cricket Council's table recently catapulted Stokes' side from fifth to second. Only rivals Australia remain above them. When he took over from Joe Root in 2022, the team had slumped to sixth and their lowest points tally in 27 years, but have since won 22 of their last 35 matches. England have moved up to 2nd place in the latest ICC Test rankings 📈 It follows a run of three series wins in the past year 🏴👏 — England's Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) May 5, 2025 With Thursday's one-off game against Zimbabwe followed by a five-match home series against India and a huge Ashes trip Down Under to come this winter, further successes could lift them back to top. And Stokes made his ambitions plain in a message to head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key. 'When the rankings came out, I did send Baz and Keysy a text saying, 'We've got one more place to go',' he said. 'Everyone knows when things are going well for us as a team we are incredibly hard to stop. We know it doesn't always go that way. 'The word 'ruthless', I'm not a big fan of. The words I do love and what I've tried to instil in this team is 'dominance' and 'dominate'. A post shared by Ben Stokes (@stokesy) 'Whatever situation we find ourselves in the game, that's the word I want to be at the front of our heads. 'We have Zimbabwe now and that's our sole focus at the moment. We know what we have coming up, but we will deal with the challenge of Zimbabwe then as we get closer to India starting, turn our focus to that.' England finished a subdued fifth in the most recent World Test Championship table, a curiously uneven structure that rewards teams with gentler fixture lists and heavily penalises slow over-rates. Stokes has been an outspoken critic of the formula in the past and suggested England's rankings rise bolstered his case. 'I did make some comments around the World Test Championship and they might make a little bit more sense now, considering we've jumped up to second,' he said. This week's match at Trent Bridge represents Stokes' first competitive action since December, when he tore his hamstring in Hamilton. It was a recurrence of a similar injury sustained last summer, leading to a second successive bout of surgery and rehabilitation. He intends to be back as a fully-functioning all-rounder, though may not be required to take an intensive bowling load over the coming days in Nottingham. 'I've obviously been training a lot over the last two months and got myself back as close as I possibly can to match intensity,' he said. 'But this will be my first game in a while. There is a bit of a gap between how far I can push myself in training and a game. 'I've done all the work I need to to get out there and bowl some overs, but I've got to be mindful of where I am and build myself back up to proper match workload for later on in the summer. I'm not getting any younger.'
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
ENG vs ZIM: Ben Stokes wants to take England to No 1 in Test rankings, doubles down on WTC structure criticism
England captain Ben Stokes, who leads his side in one-off Test against Zimbabwe on Thursday, has challenged his players to make the jump from second in the Test world rankings to first. It is now more than a decade since Andrew Strauss was the last England skipper to take the team to the summit, back in 2011. England held the number one spot for under a year and has struggled to challenge since. When all-rounder Stokes succeeded close friend Joe Root as Test captain in 2022, England had declined to sixth place. However, it has won 22 of its 35 matches since then and a recent annual update of the International Cricket Council's table propelled Stokes' side from fifth in the rankings to second, with only archrival Australia above it. Stokes, speaking at a pre-match press conference at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, said he had made his goal clear in a message to England coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key. 'When the rankings came out, I did send Baz and Keysy a text saying, 'We've got one more place to go',' said Stokes. 'Everyone knows when things are going well for us as a team we are incredibly hard to stop. We know it doesn't always go that way. The word 'ruthless', I'm not a big fan of,' he said. 'The words I do love and what I've tried to instil in this team are 'dominance' and 'dominate'. Whatever situation we find ourselves in the game, those are the words I want to be at the front of our heads.' Zimbabwe 'focus' With the Zimbabwe Test at Nottingham's Trent Bridge followed by a five-match home series with India and an Ashes campaign in Australia, further victories could lift England back to the top of the table. 'We have Zimbabwe now and that's our sole focus at the moment,' Stokes insisted. 'We know what we have coming up, but we will deal with the challenge of Zimbabwe. Then as we get closer to India starting, we'll turn our focus to that.' England finished a modest fifth in the most recent World Test Championship table, an uneven structure that tries to cope with the fact that teams don't play the same number of matches by using win percentages and one that imposes heavy penalties on slow over-rates. Stokes has repeatedly criticised the present set-up, which sees title-holder Australia playing South Africa in next month's final at Lord's, and said England's rise up the rankings proved his point. 'I did make some comments around the World Test Championship and they might make a little bit more sense now, considering we've jumped up to second,' he said. This week's match against Zimbabwe represents Stokes' first competitive cricket since December, when he tore his hamstring in Hamilton. It was a recurrence of a similar injury sustained last year which led to a second successive bout of surgery and rehabilitation. He intends to return as a fully-functioning all-rounder, though he may not be required to bowl that many overs against a Zimbabwe side playing its first Test against England in 22 years. 'I've obviously been training a lot over the last two months and got myself back as close as I possibly can to match intensity,' said Stokes. 'But this will be my first game in a while. There is a bit of a gap between how far I can push myself in training and a game.'
Glasgow Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
One more place to go – Ben Stokes targets top spot in Test rankings for England
Sir Andrew Strauss was the last England skipper to reach the summit back in 2011, holding the title for less than a year, but the annual update of the International Cricket Council's table recently catapulted Stokes' side from fifth to second. Only rivals Australia remain above them. When he took over from Joe Root in 2022, the team had slumped to sixth and their lowest points tally in 27 years, but have since won 22 of their last 35 matches. England have moved up to 2nd place in the latest ICC Test rankings 📈 It follows a run of three series wins in the past year 🏴👏 — England's Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) May 5, 2025 With Thursday's one-off game against Zimbabwe followed by a five-match home series against India and a huge Ashes trip Down Under to come this winter, further successes could lift them back to top. And Stokes made his ambitions plain in a message to head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key. 'When the rankings came out, I did send Baz and Keysy a text saying, 'We've got one more place to go',' he said. 'Everyone knows when things are going well for us as a team we are incredibly hard to stop. We know it doesn't always go that way. 'The word 'ruthless', I'm not a big fan of. The words I do love and what I've tried to instil in this team is 'dominance' and 'dominate'. 'Whatever situation we find ourselves in the game, that's the word I want to be at the front of our heads. 'We have Zimbabwe now and that's our sole focus at the moment. We know what we have coming up, but we will deal with the challenge of Zimbabwe then as we get closer to India starting, turn our focus to that.' England finished a subdued fifth in the most recent World Test Championship table, a curiously uneven structure that rewards teams with gentler fixture lists and heavily penalises slow over-rates. Stokes has been an outspoken critic of the formula in the past and suggested England's rankings rise bolstered his case. 'I did make some comments around the World Test Championship and they might make a little bit more sense now, considering we've jumped up to second,' he said. This week's match at Trent Bridge represents Stokes' first competitive action since December, when he tore his hamstring in Hamilton. It was a recurrence of a similar injury sustained last summer, leading to a second successive bout of surgery and rehabilitation. Stokes is ready to get some overs under his belt against Zimbabwe (Bradley Collyer/PA) He intends to be back as a fully-functioning all-rounder, though may not be required to take an intensive bowling load over the coming days in Nottingham. 'I've obviously been training a lot over the last two months and got myself back as close as I possibly can to match intensity,' he said. 'But this will be my first game in a while. There is a bit of a gap between how far I can push myself in training and a game. 'I've done all the work I need to to get out there and bowl some overs, but I've got to be mindful of where I am and build myself back up to proper match workload for later on in the summer. I'm not getting any younger.'
