England captain Ben Stokes said that his team hurt their own chances as the Ashes series ended in a 4-1 loss, stating the repeated lapses after strong positions, including in the final Test in Sydney as well.
“Australia are an incredible team,” Stokes said at the post-match presentation. “They’ve had outstanding performances with bat and ball. But we also have to be honest with ourselves and admit we did some damage to our own cause. We know we can play better than that, but full credit to Steve [Smith], Pat [Cummins], and the Australian team. They were exceptional across five Tests.”
The England captain also shared that the final Test played out to the same script as well. However, Stokes also gave a more reflective assessment of the series as well.
“We probably needed another 100 runs, and we allowed Australia to get about 100 too many in their first innings. If you look at that wicket on day five, 200 runs would have put us in a great position,” added Ben Stokes after the game. “Where we are at the moment is an interesting place for us as a team. What we managed to achieve in the first two, two-and-a-half years was very good, and then we wanted to build on that. We wanted to grow as a team, and be even more consistent than we were in that.”
“If anything, we’ve done the opposite of that. We’ve started losing more. We’ve not won the big series that we want to be winning, and when a trend is happening on a consistent basis in the way that you don’t want it to happen, that’s when you need to go back and look at the drawing board, and make some adjustments that you think are going to get us back on the path of success again,” he added.
Ben Stokes also felt teams now had found a way through their methods as well.
“We are now playing against teams who have answers to the style of cricket that we have been playing over quite a long period of time now,” Stokes said. “In the first couple of years, teams found it difficult to try to come up with anything to combat the way that we played, but now teams are coming up with plans that are actually standing up to a certain style of cricket that we want to play.”
“You’ve seen in moments throughout the series that when we’ve been positive and we have taken a few risks, it has paid off in our favour. But there’s moments in games throughout the series, and even before that, where we’ve almost gifted the flow of the game back to the opposition by a decision that we think is the right one to take out there. And when you come up against a team like Australia who know how to play cricket out here like the backs of their hand and you’re also adding to your own downfall then you’re going to end up losing the series 4-1 like we have done,” he shared.
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“We’ve just not been able to be anywhere or deliver the quality of cricket that’s required to win Test matches, in particular out here in Australia. That’s with bat, ball and in the field. It’s just been so far below the level that this team can operate at, and it’s been quite consistent throughout every Test match. We’ve had periods where we’ve wrestled some momentum back, but then we’ve just let it all go again. We’ve had moments where we’ve dropped a lot of catches out here in this tour, which have been very, very costly to the overall situation of the game at the end. It’s just been down to the lack of execution when it’s been required,” he further added.
Stokes picked out Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue as positives from the series. “Bethell waited for his opportunity and worked hard. For a 22-year-old to play that innings in the fifth Test of an Ashes series against a quality attack on a tough wicket was incredible. Josh Tongue keeps getting better every time he pulls on the shirt. We’ve got a lot of talent to work with going forward,” he said.
The England captain was also grateful for the support his team had received throughout the tour.
“Wherever we go, we’re incredibly grateful for the support we receive. They’ll be as disappointed as us with the result, but our gratitude and respect for them never changes. Even staying until the end means a lot. We’re lucky to represent England and the Barmy Army. Home conditions matter. We’ve grown up on these surfaces and understand how to play on them. That showed again in this series,” he said.
“It was nice to finish on a high. Every Test matters with the World Test Championship. To get the result here was incredibly pleasing. It was a great wicket with a bit of everything and five hard-fought days of cricket. Different guys stood up at different times. Travis [Head], Alex [Carey], and [Mitchell] Starc were huge, but others played key roles too. That’s what makes a good team,” he added.
Meanwhile, Australia’s success was mostly dependent on Mitchell Starc, who, played all five Tests and sent down 153.1 overs while claiming 31 wickets – the most in the series as well.
“It feels like it’s going okay. The body’s holding together, and it’s a great group to be part of. It’s a lot of fun, especially with guys like Travis performing at the top and in the change room. I’m just glad to be playing a role. A bit of fatigue, to be honest. Scotty and I are on the older side, but we managed to get the job done. Between Scotty [Boland], Ness [Neser], and myself, we’re not the youngest, but we played our roles. It’s been a long series for the whole squad and staff. We didn’t just use 11 players, and it’s been incredibly enjoyable and rewarding to be part of,” he said.
Starc also made important contributions with the bat, including fifties at Adelaide and Brisbane.
“I’m glad I got some runs at the start because I certainly didn’t at the end. There’s no better incentive for a bowler than not having to bowl. Batting with Scotty [Boland] in Brisbane to get through to the night session with the pink ball was huge for us. I’m always happy to chip in, but I’m just as happy watching guys like Head score the bulk of the runs,” he concluded.
