Gough believes Ben Stokes offers England hope of shock Ashes win

Ben Stokes offers England real hope of a shock Ashes win in Australia, says Darren Gough, but bowlers’ best-laid plans will mean nothing if batsmen don’t put 450 on the board

  • The latest Ashes contest gets underway in Brisbane on Wednesday 
  • England enter the five-match series as underdog as is normal in Australia
  • Former England bowler Darren Gough believes there are reasons for optimism
  • Presence of talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes boosts England’s chances 
  • But Gough remains sceptical that England’s batsmen can rack up a big total  

England don’t stand a chance of winning the Ashes unless their batsmen rack up first innings scores of at least 450 but the talismanic presence of Ben Stokes offers hope.

That’s the view of past England hero Darren Gough ahead of the opening Test against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Former fast bowler Gough believes England possess a seam attack to trouble the home side but the efforts of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Co will all be in vain if the batting lets them down.

England’s hopes of winning the Ashes in Australia rest heavily on the shoulders of Ben Stokes

Stokes slayed the Aussies at Headingley in 2019 and England need him to perform once more

England legend Darren Gough believes their chances are boosted greatly by Stokes 

Joe Root’s side enter the five-match series as underdogs, as is normal Down Under, and as one of the worst-prepared England touring sides ever after most of their two intra-squad warm-up games were washed out.

But Gough, used to conjuring memorable moments in a losing cause against the great Australian teams of the 1990s, is taking the glass-half-full approach.

‘I went through a period of looking at our team going out there and looking at Australia, with their bowling line-up being so strong,’ Gough tells Sportsmail.

‘With the bowling attack we picked, the only worry I had was we didn’t have the firepower to bowl Australia out twice.

‘But then Ben Stokes came into it, a simple thing like Stokes coming back into the squad and I don’t know whether it’s false hope but it’s now ‘hang on a minute, this might just give us a chance.’

England captain Joe Root (right) with new Australian skipper Pat Cummins at the Ashes launch

Root is seen inspecting the wicket at The Gabba ahead of the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane

All-rounder Stokes, 30, had been taking an ‘indefinite break from all cricket’ to prioritise his mental health and also aid his recovery from a fractured finger that required two operations.

It meant he missed the T20 World Cup, which saw England exit to New Zealand in the semi-finals, but he confirmed his Ashes availability in late October.

Stokes will line up for England in Brisbane with Anderson, Broad, Wood, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach pushing for bowling places.

‘We have good bowlers, they have proven it over many years they are great bowlers,’ said Gough, speaking before his appointment as Yorkshire’s new interim director of cricket.

Darren Gough and Harry Judd pictured at the Booking.com T20 Pavilion at Totteridge and Millhillian Cricket Club in north London 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6gCcmcXKPmA%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1

‘My worry is, going in with a certain plan, we see Wood pick up injury after injury and he’s not going to play five Tests. If he plays two, that’s a massive bonus.

‘We have seen with the bowlers in English conditions, Anderson still performs at the highest level and especially with a new ball.

‘But he has struggled in the second innings and that is a worry, when the pitches get flatter and there’s not as much moisture.

‘Broad has been picking up injuries, he’s getting on a bit but he’s still a good performer. In Australian conditions, when he hits that hard length, he could do well, especially against David Warner.

‘I don’t know about Robinson but in English conditions he puts the ball in the right areas and is very Jimmy Anderson-like. We’ll have to see what he’s like on good pitches in Australia.

Jimmy Anderson charges in to bowl during England’s intra-squad warm-up with the Lions 

Stuart Broad bowls in England’s intra-squad match against England Lions in Brisbane 

‘I’m looking forward to seeing the new Chris Woakes. I worked with him in New Zealand a couple of years ago and we got him hitting the pitch harder and bowling quicker on flatter pitches.

‘From what I’ve seen, there has been a big improvement. If we can get him to have a good Ashes series, it gives me more hope.’

Gough adds: ‘But the bowling plan only works, as it did back in 2010-11, if we get 450 runs in the first innings.

‘I look at our batting. If Joe Root averages 50, we have five batters who average between 26 and 34, so how are we going to get 450?

‘But when Stokes comes into that line-up, I start to believe we have a chance to get 450.’

Booking.com is the official accommodation booking partner of the ICC T20 World Cup. 




Share this article

Source: Read Full Article