In the Ashes series against Australia in 2021-22, the England team received a thrashing in Australia. The Joe Root-led team was blasted 0-4 in the five-match Test series against Australia and fell in defeat in the land of the kangaroos despite their best efforts.
During the Ashes series, Stokes expressed his disappointment in his performance as well as that of a large number of other people watching him. The all-rounder went on to say that he never wants to feel that way again and that all of England’s players had taken some tough lessons from their time in Australia.
“If I look back, I feel as if I failed myself, but the thing that grinds my gears and hurts me the most is that I failed a lot of other people, and I don’t want to feel that way again. Australia has taught us all some excellent, harsh lessons,” Ben Stokes, as cited by The Guardian, said of his performances in the land of Kangaroos.
I would have like to have been in better physical condition: Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes also agreed that the whole England team needs to take some time to reflect on their disappointing performance in the Ashes. Stokes also expressed regret for not being in better physical form throughout the Ashes series, saying that he felt he had let his team down on an individual level.
“The squad and I have had some honest discussions about our experiences in Australia, not just as a group but also as individuals. For my part, I believed that I had let the squad down in more ways than simply my performances: I would have loved to have been in better physical condition,” Stokes said.
Stokes also said that England would be playing a lot of cricket this summer, which he believes is a major advantage. The 30-year-old has made it obvious that he considers Test cricket to be the most significant format in his career.
“There is a long summer ahead of us, with a lot of cricket to be played. You just have to look at the calendars from time to time and decide what is the most essential thing – and Test cricket is the most important thing for me,” Stokes said at the end of the interview.
