So who knows if……’ - Ben Stokes' blunt response to 'if Bazball will work against India' during post-match presentation

Ben Stokes (Source: Twitter)

England skipper, Ben Stokes is clearly overjoyed after his side made a stunning comeback after being two down in the five-Test match series. The English side won the third and fifth Test matches to draw the series 2-2. The home side's most interesting Bazball approach was everywhere in Ashes 2023. Stokes, in a post-match presentation after the Oval Test, gave a stunning reply when asked if Bazball would work in India. 

Interestingly, when they lost back-to-back Tests in the series, most of the critique was questioning Bazball's approach. In terms of the contest, both sides clearly pushed hard in the series, and from controversy to resilience, everything was present. Speaking of Stokes' captaincy and Bazball, he was appointed as captain of England’s Test side in April 2022. The term Bazball was coined after Brendon McCullum became the England Test team's head coach. 

2-2 is a fair reflection at the end of the series: Ben Stokes

“I remember when we beat New Zealand 3-0, (the chatter) was we couldn't do it against South Africa, (we) couldn't do it against Pakistan, (we) couldn't do it against Australia. So who knows if we can do it against India, only time will tell,” said Stokes in the last Ashes 2023 Test post-match conference. 

“Feel really good. 2-2 is a fair reflection at the end of the series. Australia, WTC champions, absolute quality team. Don't think many teams would've been able to respond like we did after being 2-0 down. Very proud of the entire team and the effort they put in,” he further added. 

In the fifth and last Test, England restricted the Australian side from chasing down the target of 384 runs on the last Day. England's side was asked to bat first at the Oval, as Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to field first. The home side posted 283 runs in their first innings, while Australia reached 295. In the second innings, the English side made 395 runs, but the Aussies were 49 runs short in their last innings to clinch the Ashes 2023 victory by 3-1. 

“Having played a lot of cricket here, you know what it's like in the 4th innings. Australia played really well yesterday, but turning up here and knowing that you still need 250 runs is really tough. The wickets came in clusters like they usually do,” concluded the English captain. 

There have been many discussions about whether England will move towards their Bazball approach in future; surely if they had lost the Ashes 2023, there would have been a big question about their style of play, but now it will be highlighted more. Interestingly, if we look at Ben Stokes' record in Test matches, he has clearly proven his leadership qualities, as this management has won 14 games in 18 Test matches.