Ben Stokes finally has reason to smile. After three disappointing Tests and weeks of backlash following a heavily criticised break in Noosa, England has finished on the right side of the ledger.
The relieved English skipper gave credit to his players for being able to stay focused amid negative press about the team’s preparation and professionalism. He also gave credit to the voice of the Barmy Army.
Captain Ben Stokes applauds the English fans.Credit: AP
“There’s just constant noise going on, constant chants,” Stokes said at the post-match presentations on Channel 7.
“So the guys out in the middle, they hear it, they feel it, and they (the Barmy Army) know it obviously means a hell of a lot to us as players that we’ve got this win.
“But I know how special the feeling is for the guys over there right now (in the crowd). There might be some pretty sore heads tomorrow.”
Stokes admitted it had been a challenging tour, following losses in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
“There was a quite a lot thrown our way,” he said.
“We just made sure that we stayed focused on the task at hand, which is to come out here and try and beat a very good Australian team. And we managed to do that.”
England were set 175 runs to win in their second innings, and did so on day two with four wickets in hand. Thirty-six wickets fell across two days on a pitch that had 10mm of grass covering.
“I think the way that the cricket was played, you know, it was obviously short and sharp. It was it was very, very, very tricky,” Stokes said.
“We looked to go out there and take the positive approach. It was heavily favoured towards the bowlers.
“So the way that we went about today was exactly the right way of trying to chase that (total) down.
“You can’t let bowlers run up and just be able to constantly land it on the area that’s dangerous. I thought the way that we, you know, combated that was brilliant.”
Stokes said he was a “proud captain” to lead a team that has broken a long drought.
“It’s been not only a tough tour for us as a team out here, but obviously, everything that’s gone before us,” he said of England winning its first Test in Australia since 2011.
“So to be stood here now, and you know, be part of a team who’s managed to win a game out in Australia after a long period of time, it is a pretty good feeling.”
He praised bowler Josh Tongue and young batsman Jacob Bethell.