Sydney [Australia], January 8 : Despite a massive defeat against Australia in the Ashes, Ben Stokes has reaffirmed his commitment to continue captaining the England Test side, expressing his determination and eagerness to lead the team back to its absolute best.
Australia registered a comprehensive win by five wickets in the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday to square off the series 4-1.
"(I'm) definitely keen as anything to carry on. I love having a challenge thrown at me, and at the moment, the challenge is getting the team back to where we once were in terms of the performances that we were delivering," Stokes told the reporters as quoted from the ICC website.
Australia clinched victories in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide before the Three Lions bounced back and registered a memorable win in Melbourne. Throughout the series, Ben Stokes-led England were outplayed by Australia's approach. The visitors' top-order struggled against Australia's pacers.
The aggressive, attacking brand of cricket synonymous with Stokes' leadership came under scrutiny, as the visiting batters failed to occupy the crease for long and repeatedly fell to attacking shots.
Stokes acknowledged that a reassessment was necessary, admitting it may be time to rethink their approach. He highlighted how opposition teams have now adapted and learned to counter England's aggressive strategy.
"I think we are playing against teams who have answers to the style of cricket that we have been playing over quite a long period of time now," said Stokes.
"In the first couple of years, teams found it difficult to try and come up with anything to combat the way we played, but now teams are coming up with plans that (are) standing up to a certain style of cricket that we want to play. When a trend is happening on a consistent basis, that's when you do need to go back and look at the drawing board and make some adjustments," he added.
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