England’s cricket star Ben Stokes has revealed that he couldn’t bring himself to watch the final moments of England’s thrilling win against Australia at Headingley. Stokes, who was the hero in their famous one-wicket victory against Australia four years ago, chose to hide in the dressing room as his teammates Harry Brook, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood secured a three-wicket win. Despite this, Stokes believes that the manner in which they won will give the team the belief that they can reclaim the Ashes.
Stokes admitted, I was a bit nervous at the end. I didn’t actually watch the last 20 runs being scored. I walked about 2km around the Headingley dressing room in the last half an hour. He further added, It is completely different when you can’t influence the game anymore and you are watching and hoping things are going to go your way.
The England captain emphasized that the entire team’s performance, both with the bat, ball, and in the field, was an unbelievable effort. He believes that winning another tight game will mentally help the team as they head into the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Stokes also cautioned Australia, stating that England can still play even better than they did in their recent victory.
England began the fourth day of the Headingley Test with a target of 251 runs and knowing that a defeat would give Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead. Yorkshire batsman Harry Brook, back at number 5 after Moeen Ali’s surprising promotion to number 3, played a crucial role by scoring 75 runs on his home ground. The recalled Chris Woakes and Mark Wood then formed an unbroken partnership of 24 runs for the eighth wicket, with Woakes hitting the winning runs with a four towards a jubilant Western Terrace to finish on 32.
Talking about the win, Brook expressed his disbelief, saying, It’s a phenomenal win and sets up the rest of the series. I don’t think I can believe it yet, to do it here in front of my home crowd. Wood, who was named man of the match for his seven wickets, shared his excitement, saying, To be there at the end was special. Chris Woakes is my good mate, we have car shared all week. We said in that car space that we will try and get plenty of runs and wickets. So that’s a lucky car!
The victory at Headingley has revived England’s hopes in the Ashes series, keeping the series alive. Stokes highlighted that this win is just the start of what they need to do and that they have to continue the way they play. He believes that the team can be even better and warned Australia, as well as their captain Pat Cummins, that England will continue to strive for improvement.
The dramatic win and the incredible performances by Stokes, Brook, Woakes, and Wood have certainly enthralled cricket fans. The series stands at 2-1 in favor of Australia, and all eyes are now on the fourth Test at Old Trafford to see if England can continue their comeback and level the series.
