Ben Stokes added a touch of humor by mocking former England captain Nasser Hussain during the toss ahead of the third Ashes Test. The England captain made it clear that if luck favors him at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, December 17, he will take a different approach than Hussain.
Hussain decided to bowl first at the Gabba in 2002 and it turned into a nightmare for England as Australia were 362-2 at stumps. With the help of centuries from Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, the host team won by 384 runs. Notably, England under Brendon McCullum has won the toss and bowled first in 14 out of 24 Test matches.
Don’t want to be another Nasser Hussain – Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes has indicated that England will choose to bat first if they win the toss in the third Test in Adelaide. With the threat of extreme heat expected in the early days, the England captain said he had no intention of repeating Nasser Hussain’s decision.
Ben Stokes told reporters, “The first and second days are going to be very hot, I’m sure I will become a meme or a GIF at some point in my career. I don’t want to be another Nasser Hussain.”
He said, “If anything, it really makes everything a little more simple and a little more clear for us. I have full support that we can do this.”
Shoaib Bashir not getting a chance is disappointing – Ben Stokes
England has once again dropped young spinner Shoaib Bashir for the third test. Ben Stokes said that this decision was taken due to the difficult situation of the team in the series. The captain admitted that the situation has forced the management to rethink its plans.
Stokes said the focus now is solely on winning matches, even if it means taking tough selection decisions. He said England will continue to take tough decisions if they feel it gives the team the best chance of surviving the series.
He said, “It’s obviously disappointing for Bash that he didn’t get his chance later in the series where he thought he was going. We didn’t think we’d be in a position to be 2-0 down after two (Tests) and win the (next) three.”
“So we have to make tough decisions ahead of the series and we will continue to make tough decisions if we feel it will give us the best chance of winning games.”
Josh Tongue replaces Gus Atkinson in England XI for Adelaide Test
England are trailing 2-0 in the current series and will have to win the upcoming third Test in Adelaide to stay in the series. Before the Adelaide match, England have made only one change in their playing eleven after losing by eight wickets in Brisbane. Fast bowler Josh Tongue has replaced Gus Atkinson.
Atkinson took three wickets in the first two matches. Tong took only two wickets against the England Lions and did not take a single wicket against the Prime Minister’s XI. However, he was England’s second-highest wicket-taker in the home series against India, taking 19 wickets at an average of 29.05 in six innings.
Overall, Tong has taken 31 wickets at an average of 30 in six Test matches, and he also impressed in his last Ashes appearance at Lord’s in 2023, where he took five wickets.
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