Ben Stokes described his side’s potential as “scary” after England brought the curtain down on his first summer under his captaincy with a nine-wicket victory over South Africa at the Oval, their sixth win in seven games since the start of the season. June
With the squad expected to be bolstered by the return of several sharpshooters from injury, including Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, when Australia visit next summer with the Ashes on the line, Stokes believes England’s future looks bright .
“It’s a great thing to think about,” Stokes said. “Who knows how far we can take this side over the next couple of years? With two of our premium fast bowlers having major injuries, so add Jofra and Woody into the mix, it’s scary to think where things could go . And the hitters we have, it’s a very high ceiling.”
The Test side’s next challenge will be to continue that form in the less familiar conditions of Pakistan in December, with Stokes taking the unusual step of encouraging his players not to get carried away by their recent exploits. “I think it would be silly not to reflect on this summer, and not to take too much out of it because it’s a very special thing that we’ve achieved,” he said. “But it’s something we’ll try to continue when we go to Pakistan. We can’t live off the fact that we’ve won six out of seven games, because we’re going to be presented with a completely different challenge. We want to go there and continue the form we’ve shown, to walk into this danger of what Pakistan will throw at us.”
Stokes also asked commentators not to be too judgmental when the positive approach he is encouraging does not pay dividends, warning that young players are being confused by “mixed messages”. “I think people who talk about the way we play should understand that they have a huge influence on the next generation of cricketers,” he said. “People listen to what they say about the game, which sometimes contradicts what we have to say.”
Zak Crawley, who has endured significant criticism during a difficult summer, wrapped it up with a classy, unbeaten 69, including a match-ending four. It was his first half-century in 18 innings since his ton in Antigua in March, during which there have been nine single-digit scores and two ducks.
Zak Crawley (left) and Ollie Pope celebrate after Crawley hit the winning runs against South Africa. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
“What we’ve seen from Zak here is what we know he can produce,” Stokes said. “That innings would have given Zak a huge amount of confidence in himself. He knows he has the support of the dressing room, but there can always be that doubt when things don’t go your way, and the way he went out and played on Sunday it was amazing. It’s really exciting for me and everyone else in the dressing room and you feel proud for your players when they go out and do something like that.”
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Ollie Robinson was named man of the match after taking seven wickets, including five for 49 in South Africa’s first innings, and said in the presentation that Stokes’ “complete honesty” had been needed to spur the it to new levels of fitness and consistency. “Everything I say to my players, they know it’s for the best reasons and the conversations I had with Ollie, he went away and understood that,” Stokes said. “Criticism is something that if I ever do, it’s purely based on what I think is best for that person to progress as a player or as a person. It’s something I did with Ollie and that’s why we’ve seen the impact it has had on them [last] two test matches”.
With three Tests in Pakistan and two in New Zealand over the winter, Stokes said it would be premature to spend too much time thinking about next summer’s Ashes series, but it is proving impossible to ignore it completely. “When you know an Ashes is coming up very soon, it’s hard not to look at it, especially with how the last Ashes trip went,” he said. “I’m excited about the Ashes next summer, especially with the way we’re playing. We know how good Australia is. I’m looking at it, but we have a bit to do first.”