Ben Stokes, the England captain, has said that his main focus during the Ashes series will be to keep the external distractions at bay. Stokes won the toss and opted to bat in the first Test match against Australia in Birmingham. Stokes expressed his delight at leading the team during the Ashes and said that it was a special moment for him. The last year has been successful for England since their playing style improved after Chris Silverwood was sacked as head coach of the team and Brendon McCullum took over as the Test coach. Stokes has led the team to win 11 of their last 13 Tests and their aggressive tactics have been dubbed as Bazball. However, ahead of the Ashes series, there were concerns about how well these tactics would work against Australia’s top-quality bowling attack that had recently won the World Test Championship final.
Stokes said that he and his team have learned to ignore the hype and concentrate only on their game. He added that the players need to maintain their focus on the job in hand and avoid unnecessary distractions. Stokes also expressed his joy at having Moeen Ali back in the team for the first Ashes Test. The off-spinner had retired from Test cricket after the India tour in 2021 but was called back after left-arm spinner Jack Leach was injured prior to the series. Stokes said that Ali had produced some ‘unbelievable performances’ for England in the past and that his presence would help the team.
Australia made one change to their playing XI as they dropped Mitchell Starc and brought back fit-again Josh Hazlewood. The Australian team comes into the series after winning the World Test Championship when they beat India. Despite having lost the last Ashes series in 2019, they are still considered a formidable side and are expected to put up a tough fight against England. The first Test match between England and Australia is being held in Birmingham and is being eagerly watched by cricket fans across the world.
