Let me entertain you! McCullum plays Robbie Williams to spark England
Let me entertain you! England coach Brendon McCullum plays Robbie Williams to inspire his team as captain Ben Stokes backs Zak Crawley and Ollie Robinson to find their rhythm in pivotal second Test against South Africa
- England have vowed to play even harder following the heavy defeat in first Test
- Hosts have stuck with their under-pressure openers, in particular Zak Crawley
- Ollie Robinson returns for first time since questions were raised about his fitness
- South Africa have the chance to claim a significant series victory at Old Trafford
The music that provided a mellow soundtrack to England’s practice at Old Trafford ahead of this pivotal second Test was hardly in keeping with their all-out aggressive approach.
There was Toto, John Denver, Foreigner and John Farnham on a ‘dad rock’ retro playlist provided by Brendon McCullum’s boombox that might not, in truth, have replicated the atmosphere in the middle when Anrich Nortje is bowling close to 95 miles per hour.
‘There were a couple of songs I had to walk over and skip,’ smiled England captain Ben Stokes. ‘But there was a really good vibe at training. Having that stuff on in the background can relax the mood and get conversation going. When we had some 1990s stuff on we were all asking Marcus Trescothick how he would dance to it in his pomp!’
England captain Ben Stokes takes part in practice ahead of second Test against South Africa
Only when the sounds of Robbie Williams emerged could the music be said to echo England’s current frame of mind because ‘Let Me Entertain You’ could easily be the theme tune of a side who will not compromise their principles – even after a heavy defeat.
They were at it again on Wednesday, promising to go even harder at a South Africa side who comprehensively outplayed them at Lord’s and are aiming here for what would be a significant series victory at a time when their very Test future is uncertain.
To try to do that England have carried on backing their under-pressure openers, in particular the desperately out of touch Zak Crawley, but have done what teams always seem to do when their batting line-up has let them down and dropped a bowler.
Ollie Robinson returns for the first time since bowling coach Jon Lewis publicly questioned his fitness during the final Ashes Test in Hobart, with Stokes believing he can exploit the extra bounce usually found in the Old Trafford pitch better than Matt Potts.
Stokes
‘Ollie’s a very popular member of this group,’ said Stokes, ‘and has fitted right back in even though he’s been out for a while. Everything we’ve seen from him in training is exactly what we want and we all know how good he is. His skill-set is incredible.’
It is a big game for Robinson, who looked trim and sharp in training, as he returns from a recurring back problem that did little to ease those doubts over his fitness that were so unhelpfully laid bare by a coach in Lewis who looks to be on his way out of this set-up.
‘It’s been a difficult time for Ollie because it wasn’t his form that was letting him down, it was his body,’ said Stokes, who was quick to praise Potts for understanding the thinking behind his omission. ‘But he can learn from everything that has happened to him.’
Whether Crawley can learn from all his failures in time to have an impact on this series remains to be seen but rarely can any England player have been backed so thoroughly and now surely stubbornly than him. He plays again today alongside another under-performing opener in Alex Lees with England in danger of wasting the golden form of Harry Brook.
England have stuck with out of touch opener Zak Crawley for the pivotal second Test
‘Yes, the openers may feel under pressure but the thing I love is, even though they do want to be scoring more runs, they’re brave enough to buy into the team ethos of playing a certain way and putting pressure back on the opposition,’ said Stokes.
‘They’re able to take themselves away from any sort of individual aims there may be and understand that the goals of the team are a lot bigger than the individual.’
It has been another eventful week for the England captain, who has been delighted by the positive reaction to the open and honest documentary on his life that starts streaming tomorrow.
Stokes was in relaxed mood yesterday and played down fears about the impact on his damaged left knee by excessive bowling, voiced most eloquently by his friend Steve Harmison, and his own batting that has verged on the reckless in his desire to set the tone.
‘Harmy is a close friend and I think his concerns for me come more from a friend’s perspective than a cricketing one,’ said Stokes. ‘The knee isn’t that bad. It’s something we can manage. We are working on it so one day we won’t have to worry about it.’
England players enjoy a kickabout at Old Trafford on Wednesday ahead of the Test match
Stokes also suggested his batting might become more John Denver than the Metallica we have seen this season. ‘I’m sure there will come a time when it does have to mellow down a little bit but right now I feel I’ve got a big responsibility to be that person hitting the message home,’ he said.
England have gone out of their way this season to highlight the bigger picture than winning as they seek to re-energise the grand old Test format. But Stokes, in his own way, made it clear that England really, really want to win this Test and level the three-match series.
‘I don’t want to come across that we’re not worried about results,’ he added. ‘I know i said last week that winning was third on the list but that’s not the case.
‘We love winning. I love winning. I don’t enjoy losing so I don’t want mixed messages from me saying it’s fine if we lose because obviously it’s not. But it is at the same time.’
That’s perfectly clear then, England captain. Now, against an unchanged and formidable South African side, it is time to deliver.
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