Ben Stokes has Australia playing unrecognisable Australian cricket

Paul Ryan | July 21, 2023

One of the key ingredients in the art of captaincy is to ask questions and challenge the opposing captain and team into doing things they otherwise wouldn’t normally do.

The Ashes series between Australia and England is two days into the 4th test, and I’ve been fascinated by how Ben Stokes, as England captain, has got into the minds of Australia.

Forget Bazball, it’s Ben Stokes.

It’s not so much they are playing Test cricket differently; they are just playing with the confidence their captain has entrusted in them.

With the bat, the batters are playing with freedom and no fear. They’re also playing very good cricket shots and being allowed to get off strike far too easily. There’s no pressure on the batters.

Can anyone imagine Glenn McGrath bowling to such fields in England.

They have a plan in mind with the ball, and it’s been backed up by creative field placements. Stokes has put fielders in positions we’re not necessarily accustomed to in Test cricket. Does he really think they’re wicket taking positions or is he just playing with the Australian batter’s minds.

Stokes and England’s creativity seems to have been very well planned.

Fascinatingly, Australia has followed suit with their version of whatever it’s called and gone away from the way Australia usually has played test cricket.

Australia is playing unrecognisable Australian cricket.

Why Australia has gone into the 4th test without a frontline spinner is beyond a mystery.

Back to Stokes. He coerces Moeen Ali out of retirement to be England’s number-one spinner after Jack Leach was injured. Moeen is 36 years of age and now has 200 Test wickets and averages 36 with the ball.

Australia goes after Moeen in the first test, and his match figures are 47 overs, 3 wickets for 204 runs. He misses the 2nd test with an injury to his finger.

Stokes keeps the faith, and Moeen returns for the 3rd test and picks up the vital wickets of Labuschagne and Smith in Australia’s 2nd innings, and England wins.

In the fourth test, on day one Moeen deceives Labuschagne and dismisses him again and then on day two is promoted to bat 3 and scores a vital 54.

So far, he has returned Stokes’s faith in spades.

Australia selected Todd Murphy as their number 2 spinner for the Ashes tour behind Nathan Lyon.

Sadly, Lyon was injured and returned to Australia after 2 tests.

As Australia’s 2^nd best spinner In Murphy is selected for the 3rd test (his first England) and he’s asked to bowl when England are 9 down and Stokes is in full flight. Murphy is hit for 4 sixes but he keeps his nerve and dismisses Stokes.

In the 2nd innings, England chase down Australia’s total of 254, but Murphy only bowls 2 overs.

In the 4th test, and just 2 overs in, we could see the Old Trafford wicket was good for batting. A 5-day test match with the wicket subject to wear and tear Australia’s 2nd best spinner, who could offer the variation history has shown to be invaluable, was overlooked for 5 fast and medium-pace bowlers.

Murphy’s non-selection became even more mysterious when Travis Head, a part-time spinner, was introduced into the attack in just the 22nd over.

Moeen has been shown enormous faith; Murphy has been shown the door.

Australia is 2 – 1 up in the series, and Australia may still win or retain the Ashes, but it's worth noting if England had taken 50% of the catches they’ve dropped behind the stumps, they might well be 3 nil up.

Australia is playing unrecognisable Australian cricket. It’s not too late, though.

Ben Stokes has asked the questions, and its been terrific captaincy and leadership.