Coddling captaincy by Stokes does little favour on raw English attack as Stokes’ failure to lead with the ball leaves them exposed.
Potts out of luck as Stokes’ coddling captaincy backfires on England.
It was another of those knee-pummeling, lung-busting spells from Ben Stokes. The issue was that, like the majority of them this series, it was done to make up for his teammates’ shortcomings, which was ultimately pointless.
Before the second new ball, the captain of England decided to bowl the rubbish overs. Specifically, a seven-over span in which Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith scored over 300 for Australia. The part-time duo of Marnus Lasbuschagne and Travis Head were working together during the comparable phase in England’s first innings, when they had more on the board for the loss of five. It proved mysteriously successful only because of Jamie Smith’s brain-fade.
Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts, Stokes’ preferred opening bowlers, received the second new ball as soon as it became available. The England captain took it back for himself, just as he had done with the first new ball, despite the fact that two wickets were taken—Khawaja and Cameron Green—after the conceding of 57 in 11 overs.
Stokes and the socialism he leads have many merits. Although the shares are spoilt, he is frequently at the front of the queue to complete difficult tasks. It’s impressive, but as the team’s best swing and seam bowler this Ashes (14 wickets at 24.60), he was depleting both the team’s and his own resources.
Stokes has made every effort to keep them together. His 2 for 87 from 26 overs was just as important to his mood as the plate-spinning he had to do.
Each teammate received a pat on the back and a low five before leaving the pitch as a token of appreciation for their hard work. After every session, whether positive or negative—and there have been many of the latter—he does this. But as a day, this may have been the most punishing, especially considering that they only won here for the first time in fifteen years at Melbourne last week.
Although Stokes has once again shown himself to be a sympathetic defender of his players in this series, especially before the Melbourne Test, this has been contrasted with a tactically subpar Ashes Test series. And this in Sydney is without a doubt his worst performance.
Unfortunately for Potts, the greatest way to map the transition from those creative highs to these boring lows may be through his torrid outing.
He was brought on at the last minute to bowl short, down on pace, obviously rusty technically, and tormented after a humiliating experience up top to Head. In the end, it was just one last embarrassing act.
Before Robinson took his place, Potts, a Bazball original, played in the first five Test matches and claimed 20 wickets at the age of 28. His last eight caps against seven different opponents show that he has been kept around but never trusted since. During that time, England wanted something sexier, like a towering left-armer, so they dropped him for an extremely raw Josh Hull for the final Test of the 2024 season in Sri Lanka.
Potts is a passionate bowler who never backs down from a task, but since those encouraging early performances, his technique and speed seem to have diminished. He wouldn’t be on this tour if Chris Woakes hadn’t been forced to retire due to an injury and Jamie Overton hadn’t retired.
He threw himself into the activity, persevered, and maintained that zeal on the pitch. Even though this was his Ashes debut at a famous venue, he deserves praise for his perseverance. However, Stokes shouldn’t have continued to use Potts, especially for a second new-ball spell that was supposed to be his.
After a terrifying encounter with the first one, it was obviously an attempt to boost Potts’ tires. Ironically, Stokes failed to keep him safe at that precise moment.