Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan has expressed his belief that Ben Stokes could be the deciding factor in England’s forthcoming Ashes tour to Australia, but only he manages his workload effectively. Stokes was absent from the fifth Test against India at The Oval due to a shoulder injury sustained at Old Trafford, after bowling an impressive 129 overs across seven innings.
This included a hefty 24 overs in the fourth innings of the third Test, eight more than any other bowler, leading some to suggest that Stokes may have taken his ‘lead from the front’ approach a touch too far – much like fellow all-rounder and former captain Andrew Flintoff, who once bowled 51 overs in a single innings against Sri Lanka.
Vaughan, who famously led England to Ashes victory in 2005, voiced concerns that if Stokes doesn’t take better care of himself, England could face difficulties in Australia.
“He holds the key, I think,” Vaughan stated during an event hosted by ticket marketplace, viagogo. “I’ve said it many times, with Ben Stokes, England can beat anybody. When Ben Stokes isn’t there, England can lose to anybody. He’s that important. And clearly, he needs to be the all-rounder.
“I think Ben was England’s best bowler this summer. He bowled incredibly. He has that knack. He has that ability to make the ball talk.”
“I just hope that he doesn’t think he can do everything. We’ve seen it quite a few times now. We saw it at Old Trafford, where he kept on bowling and bowling, then he got injured.
“What we can’t afford is that Ben suddenly feels that he has to bowl one of those mammoth spells early in the Test series because he has to win that game and then all of a sudden by the back end, Ben’s not playing because he’s injured.”
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England’s build-up for the Ashes has come under scrutiny with their batting line-up appearing unsettled during the ODI series against New Zealand, prompting Brendon McCullum to concede England ‘probably can’t adapt their batting tempo quickly enough’ on challenging surfaces.
Australian wickets have grown increasingly difficult for batsmen in recent seasons, whilst the Kookaburra ball has started to swing more than previously seen, leading Vaughan to caution that England must be prepared to modify their famously aggressive approach to achieve success.
“You don’t win in Australia by playing one way,” he said.
“I’m getting a bit bored of this kind of message that the England side are saying, ‘it’s the way that they play and they want to go even harder.'”.
“But so often in the last few years, in the first 25 overs in the first innings of the Test match, it does so much that if you go throwing your hands at the ball, England have a habit of losing five, six, seven wickets quickly.
“And if you lose five or six, seven wickets quickly in an Ashes series in the innings, you don’t win a Test match.”
England have enjoyed triumph on foreign soil during the Bazball period.
They secured England’s maiden series triumph in New Zealand since 2008 last year, and had earlier broken a 21-year drought for a series victory in Pakistan.
Their attacking philosophy has sparked debate in certain circles, but Vaughan reckons it has drawn them nearer to cricket supporters – something he believes the Australians are missing.
‘I think the Aussie public really admire England’s style of play,” Vaughan said. “They want to see players having a go, they like to see a bit of pace and cricketers enjoying themselves.
“I’m not too sure the Aussie public love the Aussie team. They don’t seem to have that kind of connection. You go back many years when they were right behind them. This team has had so much success but there seems to be a connection that’s not quite together with fans.
“So if England can get that first win in Perth, you can create a few divides within the Australian community.”