England bowling remains a question mark
And while he is content that Ben Stokes' side have the batting depth to compete with the best in the world, uncertainty remains with the ball after seeing India rack up big runs at Headingley (471 and 364) and Edgbaston (587 and 427 for six declared).
Strauss was the last England captain to win the urn Down Under but hopes Stokes can pick up the baton this winter.
'I don't think Ben needs to worry about where he sits in the pantheon of England cricketers, he's already done so many extraordinary things as a player and a captain,' he said.
'But if you want to win in Australia the number one things you need are momentum, confidence and a very stable team. These Tests against India will determine the mood in the camp heading to Australia.
'You need to have a complete team who can win in all competitions and the bowling has been exposed on some very flat tracks in good weather so far this season. That will be one question mark he's still scratching his head around…how can we take 20 wickets?
'They have sharpened up one or two elements overall and their batting is very dangerous. They grab the bull by the horns and have a lot of batters who can hurt you but there are familiar concerns and issues around the bowling.'
Friday marks the seventh 'Red for Ruth' event at the home of cricket, in honour of Strauss' late wife, who died of non-smoking lung cancer in 2018.
Coming to the Home of Cricket tomorrow?
Lord's will be transformed into a sea of red as the cricketing world unites for the seventh annual #RedforRuth day.
— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 10, 2025
The foundation has attracted donations of over £4million over the years, supporting more than 5,000 families facing an incurable cancer diagnosis and offering training to more than 1,300 healthcare professionals. A new school education programme is also being launched, featuring a Minecraft educational game.
'I'm very proud to see what the foundation has done over the last six years and we couldn't have done it without the support of the cricket community,' he said.
'It's always humbling to see Lord's resplendent in red, it's an incredible showcase and we never take it for granted.
'The impact we've made in the past six years is extraordinary, and a huge part of it is down to the generosity of the cricketing community and the public. With the schools programme now in place, we're ensuring that families feel supported not just at home or in healthcare settings, but in schools too.'
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BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
'England chasing history after backing themselves into a corner'
When Ollie Pope found out he was going to lead England this week, he cheekily asked Ben Stokes if he could have the captain's suite in the team hotel. Stokes probably knew he was on a hiding to nothing. This final Test against India at The Oval is the fifth time he has deputised as skipper, so Pope would also have been well aware of the biggest challenge that faces anyone who replaces Stokes as England captain: Not having Stokes the has been a gruelling series, not helped by the condensed nature of the schedule. Bodies on both sides have been have bowled almost 315 more overs than India in the series and paid through the loss of Stokes. India have had to deal with injury problems of their own. Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy have gone down, while Jasprit Bumrah has been limited to only three have entered the final act. England have recent form for run chases, but knocking off 374 on this Oval pitch would be truly remarkable. Starting day four on 50-0 would have been a position of promise, but the loss of Zak Crawley from the penultimate delivery of day three tipped the balance further towards India ending with a 2-2 draw. If they do, they will have won the two Tests Bumrah has missed. They have managed their resources better than England. The home side can point to their depleted stock of fast bowlers. Mark Wood and Olly Stone have missed the entire Test summer, young back-ups like Josh Hull and Sonny Baker have had stop-start Carse and Jofra Archer endured the bowlers' graveyard in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Hindsight is glorious and, a week on, suggests it would have been wiser to save one of them for The Oval. England were going for the win that would have sealed the series and did not get it. Had they caught Ravindra Jadeja on the final day, it may have been a different story. Drops have become a recurring all the pacers England could have asked to play all five Tests against India, the task was given to Chris Woakes, the oldest man in the squad. It would have been impossible to legislate for Woakes' shoulder injury, but there is also a question of whether a Brendon McCullum non-negotiable of chasing every lost cause to the boundary should apply to a weary 36-year-old fast left Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton to shoulder the burden. Neither of the trio shirked their responsibility, delivering a lion-hearted effort on Saturday in 48.4 overs in the match and Tongue's 46 are each man's most in first-class cricket, Overton's 38 his most for three looked back to the bowler that took Test cricket by storm last year. His performance belied any worries about a lack of cricket for the previous two months and suggests he perhaps could have played at Old Trafford. He should take the new ball for the first Ashes Test in has had a bizarre game. Graham Gooch once said that playing New Zealand with the great Richard Hadlee in the team was like "facing World XI at one end and Ilford 2nd XI at the other". In the first innings at The Oval, Tongue was that in one bowler. He improved in the second and deserved his five-wicket haul, ending as England's leading wicket-taker in the series, despite only playing three Tests. Between them, Atkinson and Tongue shared 16 wickets in the fifth Test. Overton was unlucky to have three catches dropped, but did little to disprove pre-match the suspicion he was an odd if the Surrey man could not have given any more, England did not need his hit-the-deck style in conditions that called for a full length. His recent history, two first-class wickets in four matches across almost two years, did not suggest he was coming in with great the course of this summer, Overton has gone ahead of Matthew Potts and Sam Cook in the pecking order, albeit if the comparison is slightly clumsy because of their different attributes. One wonders how both Potts and Cook might have gone here. England did not see the pitch until the day before the game, by which time they were dealing with the fallout from Stokes' is centrally contracted. In the winter he played Tests against Pakistan in Multan and New Zealand in Hamilton, then disappeared. The whisper is that England have decided he is not pacey enough to be a battering ram, nor has the skills to thrive with the new so prolific in county cricket, was disappointing on Test debut against Zimbabwe in May, taking one wicket in his 31 overs. If that was his only chance to impress, he chose a bad time to have a bad game. It would be harsh if England have judged him on that England have indeed gone cool on Potts and Cook, who else could they have turned to? Ollie Robinson is blacklisted and injured anyway. Calling up Dan Worrall would have sent Australia into meltdown. A 43-year-old retired James Anderson? Perhaps Overton was the best of limited options. The managing of resources is a lesson for an Ashes series from November that will be just as relentless as this have to get their bowlers to Perth, then nurse them around Australia. Woakes is a serious doubt, Stokes is battling to be fit and Wood has had a setback in his recovery from knee surgery. England will be keeping everything crossed that Archer, Carse, Atkinson and Tongue can get through the next three months of white-ball cricket - both in this country and New Zealand in October - in Australia, England will have to balance the desire for a good start against the need to stay the course. The final three Tests are have been other Ashes pointers this week. Bar Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, England's batters struggled against the movement they can expect to face down Root was rattled by words from Prasidh Krishna, yet will surely have to endure worse from the Australians. David Warner fired shots for his old team-mates on Saturday, following chirp from Steve Smith and Nathan will not win in Australia if they do not take their catches, so the six drops in the second innings of the fifth Test is a huge concern. One of them, by sub fielder Liam Dawson, is the sort of thing that will count against his chances of going as the second spinner. Jamie Smith looked tired behind the stumps after his first five-Test series as a keeper. Another in the heat of Australia then, England's supreme run-chasers face the challenge of pulling off their greatest will head to Australia on the back of a stunning victory, or with the regret of a missed opportunity for a series win.
BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
'England should consider Brook when Stokes is out'
England should consider making Harry Brook captain if Ben Stokes suffers further time on the sidelines, according to former skipper Michael Stokes is missing the final Test against India at The Oval because of a shoulder injury, with vice-captain Ollie Pope 34-year-old's recovery is likely to take around eight weeks, before the Ashes series in Australia beginning in Brook became England's white-ball captain earlier this year, winning his first series in full-time charge against West Indies."Harry Brook, to me, looks a leader. He looks a born leader," Vaughan told the Test Match Special podcast."If Ben Stokes is injured in the future can't Pope stay as vice-captain and Harry Brook gets the leadership role?" Vaughan is regarded as one of the finest captains to have led England, masterminding the famous 2005 Ashes series win. He won 26 of his 51 Tests in charge between 2003 and added: "I look at someone like Ollie Pope, who looks a fantastic vice-captain. He is brilliant person to have next to the captain to come up with ideas. Sometimes vice-captains aren't brilliant captains."Marcus Trescothick was a magnificent vice-captain for me but you wouldn't to give him the captaincy."Pope, 27, is leading England in a Test for the fifth time. He previously stood in when Stokes had a hamstring injury last Pope, the home side face an uphill task to win the decisive fifth Test. After being set 374 to beat India, a target that would represent their second-highest successful chase in a Test, they closed the third day on Saturday, without the injured Chris Woakes, England were left relying on trio of seamers Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie they were eventually able to dismiss India for 396 in their second innings, England were hampered by six dropped catches."It is not Ollie Pope's fault England are in this position. It is the dropped catches," said Vaughan."There were a couple of times he nipped off the field, it might have been for a comfort break, but it looked like he was going off for tactical advice."I don't know well enough and am not in the dressing room. I just want the best captain who is the best leader leading the England side. I don't think a good vice-captain will necessarily be a good captain." England's highest run chase of 378 came against India three years ago at Edgbaston. They also successfully overhauled 371 against the same opponents to win the first Test of this series at Headingley."We're pretty chilled," said Tongue. "There won't be any over-thinking about it."I got asked the same question at Headingley. I don't see why we can't chase down these runs."How we play is very positive and exciting. With the batting line-up we've got, I can't see why we can't give it a good go."
Telegraph
21 hours ago
- Telegraph
England are a soft touch in the field without Ben Stokes
When England play without Ben Stokes, they lose an experienced batsman, a key bowler, a superb fielder and their most imaginative tactical mind. But just as damaging is the loss of their aura and force of personality. Cricket is a non-contact sport (someone tell Akash Deep), but that does not make physicality and presence irrelevant. Without Stokes, England look a soft touch. India, rightly, have behaved all week at The Oval as though they knew this. They are ending a niggly series with a calculated aggression in everything they are doing. That started by picking a fight with the groundsman (Lee Fortis is nobody's idea of a soft touch, by the way). It sent a message that they would not be taking a backward step. They have got stuck into England – and fair enough. We will never know, but it is worth wondering if a few pieces of Indian behaviour would have taken place if Stokes was in the team. Would Deep have made physical contact with Ben Duckett? Or would Prasidh Krishna have had a pop at Joe Root, a pre-conceived plan that brought an uncharacteristic reaction? Would Yashasvi Jaiswal have taken such a liberty over his shameless time-wasting before lunch on day three if it was Stokes, not Ollie Pope, captaining England from mid-off? Maybe, but probably not. It's all getting heated in the middle between Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna 👀 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2025 This is not to denigrate Pope, who is just a very different character and cricketer to Stokes. The first and most glaring problem with his captaincy is that he cannot turn to Stokes, England's premier all-rounder. That throws into disarray the side's balance before a ball is even bowled, because in this case it meant going in without a frontline spinner. As well as Stokes, Pope cannot call upon Jofra Archer or Brydon Carse, who have been chewed up and spat out by some flat surfaces. This was made even worse by the loss of Chris Woakes, their most senior seamer, leaving them with a three-man attack. The hallmark of England's third morning was a general passivity as Deep, the nightwatchman, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, shared a stand of 107. If you surveyed the field with no knowledge of who was captain, it would not have been immediately obvious. Pope actually spent some time off the field, picking the brains of coach Brendon McCullum (with Stokes in the background). Pope had lacked Stokes's tactical bravado. The only over bowled by spin in the morning session was the first, with Jacob Bethell enabling a change of ends for the quicks. Stokes would surely have backed Bethell and Root to draw some risky shots from India's batsmen in the hope of buying a wicket. Pope kept going back to his flagging quicks. It was reminiscent of a lax England performance against Sri Lanka at this ground last September, although at least that series had already been won. England took a risk in selection, handing a debut to the raw and unproven Josh Hull, then played with a tactical aimlessness. When Stokes choses a plan, it is never half-hearted, and the whole team buys in. On the fourth evening at Lord's, Archer complained to Stokes that he did not like his field. Stokes disagreed, and Archer was made to get in line. At The Oval, Pope gave Jamie Overton an inventive field, with a leg-slip, and two short midwickets. It drew a chance, with Jaiswal narrowly missed by the diving Ben Duckett at leg-slip. In Overton's next over, he bowled a wide half-tracker – ie the worst possible ball for this field – which Ravindra Jadeja cut easily for four. Overton complained that he did not have enough protection, and Pope submitted, giving up on the plan immediately, even though it had created a chance. Dropped catches were a big problem for England in the third innings. Four fielders shelled six in all, with Harry Brook and Liam Dawson's on the second evening, of Jaiswal, being the most costly. England drop catches under Stokes too, of course, including two expensive ones at Old Trafford last week. But his focus and intensity mean England have rarely been as profligate under Stokes as they have here. England's fielding was always committed, but endured lapses in concentration. Without Stokes, England simply lack some menace. They have yappy dogs, like Brook and Duckett, but their bark is worse than their bite. In Jamie Smith, they have a wicketkeeper who could end up being an England great, but is a thoroughly atypical gloveman in his quiet manner. Forget Matt Prior or Jonny Bairstow, Smith makes Ben Foakes or Jos Buttler look demonstrative. He clinically and coldly gets on with his job, not saying boo to a goose. That is fine, especially as he is doing that job well, but adds to England's unassertive feel. Earlier this week, Michael Vaughan wrote in Telegraph Sport that Stokes was as important as any cricketer to their team that he could remember. The Oval Test has underlined his point perfectly. Six of the worst: England's costly drops Atkinson to Jaiswal on 20. Fielder: Brook Jaiswal flashed hard, edging high to Brook's left at second slip. It flew – the ball ran away to the boundary – and was a little awkward, but should have been taken by one of England's best catchers. Difficulty rating: 6/10 Tongue to Jaiswal on 40. Fielder: Dawson A sitter. Sub Dawson was grazing at fine leg and Tongue drew the false shot from the cavalier opener amid an excellent spell. The ball went straight to Dawson, but inexplicably through his hands. Dawson blamed losing sight of the ball. Difficulty rating: 1/10 Big chance for England as Dawson drops Jaiswal 🏴 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2025 Overton to Sudharsan on 7. Fielder: Crawley Like Brook's, this flew very fast to Crawley's left at third slip as the light faded on day two. He could not cling on, meaning every member of England's three-man attack had seen a catch dropped. Difficulty rating: 5/10 Tongue to Deep on 21. Fielder: Crawley The ball after Deep survived a very tight umpire's call review, a thick edge flew to the cordon. Diving to his left, Crawley could only palm it clumsily. Difficulty rating: 5/10 Overton to Nair on 12. Fielder: Brook More confusion between second and third slip. Another healthy edge that flew quickly to the cordon, Crawley dived in front of Brook, who shelled low to his right. A tougher chance, but far from impossible. Difficulty rating: 6/10 Overton to Jaiswal on 114. Fielder: Duckett Duckett had been placed exactly for this shot. Jaiswal flicked hard, and the unsighted Duckett dived low to his left, and actually went too far, with the ball not sticking, and running away for a boundary. The last time England dropped six catches in an innings in a home Test was in 2006 against Pakistan, also at The Oval. Difficulty rating: 8/10
