No-one can stop Stokes overdoing it but himself

BBC News

7 days ago

I had everything crossed while watching Ben Stokes run in to bowl on the final day of the fourth Test against India.At times he looked like Laurel and Hardy's car with various bits of his body looking like they were going to fall off because of his niggles.With Stokes there is always lots of talk about someone in the dressing room, whether it is his vice-captain Ollie Pope, his friend and team-mate Joe Root, or coach Brendon McCullum, having to tell him not to push himself too far.We are past that point now. It is clear no-one is going to be able to tell Stokes what to do.It is hard because Stokes knows how important he is to his team. He feels the responsibility because it is his team and at Old Trafford he was head and shoulders above the other bowlers on either side.But he has got to look after himself and look at the bigger picture.Without him, England's hopes of winning this series at The Oval next week or in the Ashes in Australia this winter would be massively diminished. It really is Stokes or bust for England right now.
Archer 'not the express bowler some expect him to be'
It is both a huge compliment to Stokes and a concern that he offered so much more threat than the rest of his bowling attack, particularly with the old ball.Stokes has taken six wickets after a ball is 40 overs old in this series. Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue have taken two wickets combined across the same period.It shows his bowling really is world class.Archer's return to Test cricket has been largely encouraging but on Sunday he discovered what it is to be truly Test-match fit.His feet looked sore, his pace was down to 83mph in his final spell and he did not look as threatening.It also confirmed he is not the express bowler some people expect him to be.He can do that role for a spell here or there where he really heats things up, like he did at times in his comeback at Lord's, but he is not like Mark Wood.Wood can bowl at 95mph whenever you throw him the ball but, for whatever reason, Archer's rhythm is not always there.It is great he is back and that he has been able to play two games is another step on his progression to playing in the Ashes.Now he just needs a few weeks to put his feet up because if he did not remember what Test cricket feels like, he will now.
'Dawson not threatening but may work down under'
After Archer made his comeback at Lord's, the England player returning here was Liam Dawson after eight years away, in place of the injured Shoaib Bashir.I am still not sure about Dawson as England's spinner.He bowled tidily – 47 overs for only 95 runs in the second innings – but that he did not take a wicket as England pushed for victory on the final two days summed it up. He did not look dangerous.Dawson's action is interesting.He is very chest-on compared to the more traditional off-spinner's technique of getting sideways and using your hips to pivot and put more action into the ball.Given Dawson is 35 and has had a good career, I am by no means calling for him to change his technique but that is a reason why he is never going to be a big turner of the ball.Of course the other way of looking at his performance is that he was largely accurate and may actually be what England need when it comes to bowling in Australia.In the heat down under, you do not want to leak runs through your spinner.You need to hold up an end to allow the quick bowlers to rotate and have a rest. That is why Graeme Swann was so valuable when England won under Andrew Strauss in the 2010-11 series.Dawson will rightly get another go at The Oval, where he will hope to make even more of an impression.
Changes are a must for The Oval
When it comes to the fifth Test, England will have to make changes because Woakes, Carse and Archer look exhausted.That is no surprise given all four Tests have gone the full five days – something unheard of in recent years in this country.Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson look certainties to return to bolster the bowling attack and then it will be about whether Stokes is fit to play a full part, fit enough only to play as a batter, or not fit at all.Previously when Stokes has not been able to bowl England have looked to squeeze in a fourth seamer, like they did in the 2023 Ashes when Moeen Ali was recalled to be a spin-bowling all-rounder.England will be desperate for Stokes to play but if not they will just have to go in with three pace bowlers plus Dawson. That keeps the batting strong for a game they cannot afford to lose.Stokes will be desperate for some more grass on the pitch, anything to give pace and bounce to help his bowlers, and then hope his body recovers.England need him. Without Stokes they are half the side.Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport's Matthew Henry