On the eve of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in Manchester, England captain Ben Stokes reflected on his performance in the previous match at Lord’s, where he said he felt “threatening” with the ball despite taking only two wickets on the final day.
Stokes bowled 24 overs in India’s second innings at Lord’s, the most by any England bowler in that spell, and claimed three wickets overall in the match, including the key dismissal of KL Rahul for 39 after his first-innings century.
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Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Stokes explained his mindset during the final day. “I just felt really good, and even though I only got two wickets throughout the day, I just felt like I was threatening. My rhythm felt really good. Everything felt just sort of easy,” he said.
He elaborated further on how bowlers sometimes sense momentum in long spells. “As a bowler, sometimes when you get into those rhythms, you just feel like you’re going through the motions and you feel like you’re just warming up, if that makes sense. But everything was coming out really well. I consistently felt threatened in those spells, hence why I kept on going,” Stokes added.
The England skipper also mentioned his desire to give everything for the team on the final day despite the workload. “Enjoyment, probably not the right word. I just wanted to win the game for my team. I think it is a good sign for me personally. I feel like I’ve been relatively sensible with my loads so far in terms of breaking up my overs throughout our fielding innings. But as I said, it got to that day five, and I was going to leave everything out there,” he stated.
Stokes currently leads the wicket-taking charts for England in the ongoing series, having taken 11 wickets in three matches at an average of 29.45 and an economy rate of 3.08. However, his batting form has been modest, with 163 runs in six innings at an average of 27.16.
England heads into the fourth Test with a 2-1 series lead, while India will look to level the series when play begins on Wednesday at Old Trafford.
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