England’s cricket team has been under the microscope following a disappointing performance during their tour of India earlier this year. Critics, including several former players, accused the squad of not taking the matches seriously, pointing to their frequent golf outings between games as evidence of a lack of dedication. The team’s early exit from the Champions Trophy and struggles in the ICC World Test Championship only added fuel to the fire.
However, Test captain Ben Stokes has come out swinging in defense of his team. In a candid interview with Sky Sports, Stokes slammed the accusations, calling them baseless. “When you hear comments saying we don’t train hard enough, we’re more bothered about golf, we don’t work hard enough, it’s just complete and utter rubbish,” he stated emphatically.
Stokes emphasized the professionalism and commitment of his teammates, saying, “You’re not going to be able to be an international sportsman for a long period of time if you don’t have a work ethic. Everyone that walks into the Test team, the white-ball team, their work ethic is incredible. They’re professional athletes, it’s their job.”
“There’s a Method to the Madness” – Ben Stokes
Stokes also addressed the criticism of the team’s unconventional training methods, explaining that outsiders often don’t grasp the reasoning behind their approach. “There’s reasons as to why we do things in the way that we do it, and those reasons are for us to speak about together in the dressing room,” he said. “There is a reason to everything that we do.”
He further elaborated, “What we try and do is take any extra pressure off the shoulders of people. When you see us doing certain things that people might think, ‘Why are we doing that?’, there’s a reason.”
England is now gearing up for the new World Test Championship cycle, starting with a match against Zimbabwe. This will be followed by challenging series against cricketing giants India and Australia. Stokes, who has been recovering from a hamstring injury, is eager to return to his best form and make an impact.
“In terms of my role as a player, that full seamer, batting at six, trying to dominate every situation… is what I want to get back doing out on the field. I know I’ve done it before. It’s something I’m very confident in myself I can do,” he said with determination.
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