Ben Stokes plans to tone down the Ashes talk in England, insisting his side must focus on the here and now.
This week's game against New Zealand in Hamilton is not only England's final Test in a busy year, but also their final overseas outing before their long-awaited tour of Australia next winter.
But as Stokes looks back on the waning days of 2024, he warns against seeing everything as a stepping stone to the Battle of Australia.
The skipper may have been guilty of this at the start of the summer, when he explained a selection overhaul that saw record wicket-taker James Anderson retire and the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach and Ben Fox, among others, were also replaced.
reconstruction of england
He said at the time that rebuilding a squad capable of reclaiming the trophy in 2025/26 was the main motivation, but now he does not want to prematurely fan the inevitable hype, especially ahead of a huge clash at home against India.
“Everyone in England and Australia knows that the Ashes is an important series for both teams, but I think lowering expectations for the series is something I would have done better in preparation for. thing,” he said.
“You do always focus on that but we have six Tests before that (next year) so we have to focus on those games. I think, through my own fault, I probably said too much about the Ashes, I'm taking this series too seriously considering how much cricket we have to play before.
“This is so far from my leadership philosophy – stay in the moment, stay where you are, and then worry about things when we have to worry about them. It was a mistake of my own. I don't know where the hell it came from… I guess there is a learning curve as a leader.
“It's quite tough when the Ashes is coming up and I've been involved in quite a bit of it now and you do look at the calendar and think 'oh, it's almost here'.
“It's hard to avoid, but I think I'll make sure I focus on the here and now and what we have coming up. And then when Ashes becomes our next series, we'll focus on that .
England record
- India 4 England 1
- England 3 West Indies 0
- England 2 Sri Lanka 1
- Pakistan 2 England 1
- New Zealand 0 England 2 (one game)
England have clearly found their focus in New Zealand, ending their 16-year wait with back-to-back wins in Christchurch and Wellington.
It means they are guaranteed points at the end of 2024 – with nine wins and seven defeats, including one at Seddon Park. More importantly, the team's restart has been largely successful.
Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse have proven themselves capable of continuing the bowling pace and Jamie Smith (unavailable after the birth of his first child) looks Is the ideal successor to Bairstow as he is an attacking wicket-keeper, batsman and spinner Shoaib Bashir has 47 wickets despite being considered an ongoing in the job, but he has played in 14 games.
Read more: Brydon Carse enjoys prospect of 'dream' Ashes tour after England breakthrough
Jacob Bethell was a surprise call-up with just two appearances under his belt and is already making his case for staying.
for many years
“Seventeen Tests a year is a lot when you add in the other cricket ball; it's a long and difficult process but a very good year,” Stokes said.
“We have played some excellent cricket and found some very talented players who have proven they are capable of performing well for your country on the biggest stage.
“We've changed some guys along the way, but we've stayed strong and know our way around as players and as a team… We've come a long way.
“It was definitely not a conscious decision to start bringing in real young guys. I think they're just more talented than we were at 19, 20, 21.
“Four, five, six years from now, the young guys in this team will be the core and the experienced players will lead the team forward, just like I'm trying to do. It's an exciting prospect.
England were tipped to be without changes to their squad for a third consecutive match, with the final nets session being to check on their seamers and the one-on-one over for Harry Brooke.
The newly crowned world No. 1 batsman, who is one run ahead of teammate Joe Root in the ICC's latest update, has injured his ankle but is expected to be fine.
Read more: Harry Brooke replaces Joe Root as world's number one Test batsman
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