Stokes aiming to join a select few as they look to join the greats and claim their own place in series pantheon on Australian soil.
Ben Stokes yearns to join ‘lucky few’ in Ashes history.
Ben Stokes has urged his England team to make history in Australia and hopes to become one of the “lucky few captains” to return home with the Ashes.
A quest to reclaim the urn for the first time since 2015 will begin with Friday’s opening in Perth. The 13-0 record over the last three tours, despite the Australians losing two of their excellent bowling attack due to the exclusion of Josh Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins from the first game, puts the challenge at hand in perspective. Additionally, they might include two rookies: opening batsman Jake Weatherald and fast bowler Brendan Doggett.
Overseeing the 3-1 victory in 2010–11, Sir Andrew Strauss was the final of five captains to lead Australia since the Second World War. After 15 years, Stokes is hoping to become the second person since Ray Illingworth to recapture the Ashes from Australia, in addition to joining Strauss as the sixth. Additionally, it would be Stokes’ first victory in a five-match series in four tries; the first was a 2-2 draw at home in the 2023 Ashes.
“I’ve come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as one of the lucky few captains from England who have come here and been successful,” said Stokes. “Personally, I do understand how big a series this is but it’s not putting any more effort into this one than I have done any other series I’ve been captain.”
As the only past Ashes visitors, Stokes, Wood, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope have been informing the others about what to anticipate. However, he acknowledged that it would be wrong if they did not allow themselves to experience the spirit surrounding the series and, in fact, Perth, and face the scope of what is in front of them.
“Everyone in the world, everyone in Australia, everyone in England knows how big this series is,” Stokes said. “If we were to come out and not accept that and go on that as just another series, then we’d only be lying to ourselves and lying to the fact of what this series is. In particular this team, for myself, Brendan and for Rob (Key) and facing what that feels like, looking it in the eyes, taking it on, not being afraid of the challenge that we have ahead of us.
“We know it’s a huge task coming to Australia and everything that comes with that away from the field, on the field. It is a huge two-and-a-half months for us. Rather than playing it down and not really accepting this moment for what it is, I think maybe we would not really understand what the moment is. So yeah – putting it all out there, letting everyone know the expectations of what it’s going to be like in particular because we’ve got a squad here who have come in and are experiencing Australia for the first time.”