Australia Learn From Their Headingley Mistakes to Avoid Another Stokes Scare

In 2019, Australia and Tim Paine did not bring the field up for the last ball when Ben Stokes was looking really good. Eventually, he got some easy singles, kept strike, saved Jack Leach and took England home in what was a special effort.

Australia though have shown that they have learnt in these four years how to handle a player who is going really well. Unlike last time, Australia kept all their fielders back and starved Ben Stokes of any gaps in the field. They did not allow him to find boundaries, and they slowed the game down with frequent discussions with the bowler, something that was missing last time.

With Ben Stokes targetting the square leg boundary and the short ball, Australia knew that the game would be over quickly if they did not try something different. They cut off the square leg boundary and mixed it up, slowing the game and Ben Stokes strongly. Off his last 29 balls, Ben Stokes only managed to score off seven, facing 22 dot balls, leading to the slice that went to Carey. Stokes waited on Cummins and once Hazlewood gave him a delivery in his hitting range, Ben Stokes crumbled.

It was an old and soft ball, and Australia were waiting for the Ben Stokes mistake, which already came and went when Steve Smith put him down shortly after the lunch break. Australia though continued to bang the ball short which was a trend on the Lords wicket with both sides doing the same. After Stokes departed, Australia gave the same treatment to the tail as Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson were dismissed in the same fashion, pulling the ball.

With Stokes going the way he was, Australia were under the pump. A Headingley repeat looked on the cards. Without Lyon and with the pitch not doing much there was not left for Australia to do but wait. In the end, they got past the Stokes challenge and now are a win away from sealing the Ashes with an outright series win.