The whole cricketing world now envies England. The same England that until 2014, were more content to play conservative cricket is now the holders of the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup. Never before in the annals of international cricket have the same team held two different trophies. A generation of South Africans never tasted even a single World Cup. The likes of de Villiers, Amla, Kallis, Smith, Steyn comes to mind but here is Ben Stokes & Jos Buttler already holding a couple and that too, in a short space of time. What a turnaround for England has it been.
The rejuvenation of England
England must really thank Bangladesh for the twin World Cups. If they had not beaten England in 2015, perhaps, England would never have thought of transformation. That ignominy of going out of the World Cup in the league stage and at the hands of Bangladesh must have hurt England and they rose from their slumber. Andrew Strauss was the primary reason for this change. First, he allowed English players to participate in the IPL and overseas leagues. Allowing them to play in IPL takes some courage because it takes away the best English players from County cricket during the initial stages. Yet, the Counties obliged and were happy to go alongwith the vision of the ECB. 7 years down the line, that has paid off immensely.
England will be proud of how they achieved this win despite the absence of some of white-ball beasts. Johnny Bairstow, Jofra Archer & Mark Wood. All exceptional T20 cricketers were laid low because of injuries. Yet, that did not reduce their confidence one bit. They were stunned by Ireland but that did not deter them. Somehow, England found a way and come semi-final, they were at their absolute best. India were annihilated. Pakistan have terrific bowlers. Bowlers who are all capable of hitting the 150KMPH mark consistently. Yet, Buttler and Salt batted with the same disdain that they reserved for every other team.
Ben Stokes and finals
Ben Stokes is such a special cricketer. Something motivates him whenever there is a title to be won. During the 2019 World Cup, it was Stokes who stayed till the very end and now it was Stokes who scored the winning runs. Perhaps, a fitting end. He didn’t follow the usual swashbuckling approach but followed the traditional conservative approach. He stayed patient and weathered Haris Rauf’s storm, Haseen Shah’s swing and Wasim’s pace. Stokes was rewarded with a stroke of luck when Iftikar Ahmed came onto bowl replacing the injured Shaheen Afridi and converted that opportunity effectively and that 5 balls effectively sealed the game.
Paul Collingwood, the assistant coach said, “We all know what he’s capable of, and not just match-winning innings, but match-winning innings under serious amounts of pressure. I know well that if it comes down to the crunch that you want a man like Ben Stokes walking out.”
In doing so, he redeemed himself for the 2016 T20 World Cup final.
“It’s an amazing story,” Jos Buttler said. “It’s been an amazing journey, all his big moments… he’s never let that 2016 final push him back and the things he’s gone on to achieve since then are just amazing.”
Stokes and Test Cricket
Somehow Stokes finds himself at the right place at the right time. These innings have catapulted him into a national hero. For someone who was arrested not long ago and who had a bout of mental health related issues, he has come a longway. Offlate, with Brendan McCullum, he has set on the path of not only revitalising the sagging fortunes of English Test Cricket but Test Cricket itself. Ofcourse, firmer challenges awaits him in Pakistan and in other countries.
Can he be addressed as a great? I am afraid that must wait. His failure in Australia contributed directly to 0-4 humiliation. England have lost 13 of the last 15 tests in Australia. It is something Stokes will want to rewrite and his own performance for the Ashes defines an English cricketer. Ofcourse, there is that Headingley magic but that alone must not define him.
The big difference between his Test and limited overs batting is that in Test cricket, he does not mind playing his shots right at the outset. He has often let himself down because his ability calls for lot more runs. Whereas in limited overs, he takes time to settle down and launch an assault. Perhaps, the fact that he is the captain of the Test team gives him the confidence to bat aggressively right from the start because he knows that the buck stops with him.
England’s approach is how white ball must be played
Other teams, especially India, will have to take note of how England plays the game. They are still in the 90s and refuses to transform themselves into modern day. In Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, they have conservative management who is unwilling to take risks. If they do not change their ways immediately, they will be left far behind by other nations.
Wrapping up what a turnaround for England
England in the end were the deserving winners. I did not think that they were the favourites. The loss against India. The exit of Eoin Morgan and the ascendancy of Buttler who didn’t really know how to about it and the sudden fall in their standards. In the end, they got back their aggression right when it mattered. India for one will never forget the humiliation and shellacking.
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