During Ashes 2023, England captain Ben Stokes motivated his teammates by stating that although they couldn’t win the Ashes, they had become an unforgettable team as well for those “people who were lucky enough” to watch them play. His statement was revealed in a
documentary series ‘Ashes 2023 | Our Take’ produced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as well. He said during his dressing room speech after the fourth Test that ended in a draw as well. With the five-match series 2-1 in favour of Australia, there was no hope for England to win it as well.

“Everything we’ve done up until now isn’t going to stop because we haven’t managed to win the urn back,” Ben Stokes said to his teammates, as quoted by cricket.com.au. “The reward for our work isn’t what we get but what we become. And what we have managed to do is we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket.”

“I know it’s going to be a bit flat, I know it’s going to hurt that we go into the next game (at The Oval) not being able to get the urn back. But what we have done is something a lot bigger than any Ashes trophy could ever signify for this team – be the team that everybody will always remember,” he further added.

However, England won the fifth Test and the series ended at 2-2. Although Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s ultra-aggressive style, termed ‘BazBall’, earned applause, it couldn’t alter England’s fate. And, BazBall’s biggest example was seen in the first Test itself when England
declared at 393/8 on the first day, hoping to get some early Australian wickets before stumps as well but their plan didn’t work and the Aussies eventually secured a narrow two-wicket win as well.

“Any decision I make will never be based on ‘well, we’re definitely not going to lose if we make this one, so I’ll go with it’,” Stokes said in the documentary. “It will always be about what’s going to give us the best opportunity to win a game,” Ben Stokes concluded.