Captain Joe Root states the way Ben Stokes tactics the game on and off is now a inspiration for the entire England team.
Stokes‘ incredible unbeaten century led England to a win in Headingley to level the Ashes series and tickets to the first four days of this Test at Old Trafford have been sold out.
Root is hoping for a victory for England but should it go down to the cable, he is no doubt his vice-captain will drag the side through more or at least help motivate others to achieve that.
„One thing you know about Ben is that if the big occasions come about, he’s going to be there,“ Root said.
„He is going to need to be a part of it, he is never going to shy away from any sort of challenge, and he’s proven that this summer.
„For him, I believe he has only got to keep working and doing exactly what he’s doing – he is flying right now! He wants to exploit that, bottle this up and make the most of it while he is in this wonderful form.
„He is a great team man, he is just one of those men who will go out of his way to help everyone and ensure they feel as they are ready. He will always provide guidance, he is pioneer and a brilliant participant. He shows that on the area.
„He’s got a fantastic balance of knowing when to say the right things. He is very enthusiastic and he amazes people together . He’s just a bloke that is great.
„If you mix that with the ability and ability he has and it’s a great mix and a excellent inspiration for not just the young guys coming to this group but also the senior players as well.“
Root also affirmed Craig Overton will replace Chris Woakes from the England XI while Joe Denly will move up to open with Jason Roy falling down to # 4 since the hosts intention to capitalise on the goodwill and momentum brought about by their own win in Headingley.
„If you come off a win like this it’s a major lift for the whole group,“ he said.
„For that match to lurk just like it did and for us to develop here filled with confidence and very much alive in this string is… I believed the way we played the week earlier at Lord’s it started to feel as though we were wrestling our way back in the series and we did a lot of excellent stuff out there.
„It felt just like last week we left a great deal of errors and did not really get it through some human brilliance and some elegance within our batting in the second innings and high-quality bowling, bar the odd charm there or here, we managed to triumph.
„In a way, if we can deliver those two performances together we feel as though we’ll be in a great place at the conclusion of this week too.“
Watch day one of this fourth Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford in 10am, Wednesday The Ashes.
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