ICC World Cup 2019 | Geared up to beat Australia and redeem ourselves, says Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes reckons that England’s semi-final match against Australia is definitely the most important match of his career thus far, and says he is geared up to beat their long-standing rivals. The all-rounder has scored four fifties and picked up nine wickets for his team so far.
Stokes is no stranger to high-pressure encounters on the world stage. Many English, and Windies fans, still remember the final over fiasco in the 2016 World T20 final, when Carlos Brathwaite smashed the Englishman for four consecutive sixes in front of a packed audience at Eden Garden to pull off a stunning win for the Windies.
However, Stokes has come a long way from that debacle. On Thursday, he will be put into another high-pressure encounter. This one is a World Cup semi-final on home soil, against their long time rivals, Australia. Mind you, Australia have beaten England once in this tournament in their league match at Lord’s. So really, it can’t get any bigger than this, and Stokes agrees.
"Is this the most important game I've played? Yes, to date. Definitely," Stokes said. "Playing against Australia is a big occasion in any sport. The rivalry goes way back. Beating them is that touch better than any other team. Losing to them at Lord's was massively disappointing, so I think there will be a bit of redemption in knowing we have the chance to beat them and get to that final," Stokes told ESPNCricinfo
But Stokes has reason enough to be confident in his own abilities, as well as in his team. England have come back from the verge of elimination, beating India and New Zealand, to make it to the semis. So, they are high on momentum. All four of England’s top four in the batting lineup have scored 100s at this World Cup, so the batting form is good. Stokes, personally, has done well with both bat and ball - four fifties averaging 54.42, and nine wickets at an economy rate of 4.65. Stokes feels this success is down to a clear understanding of his role in the side.
"I'm in a very good place with my batting. I have just continued to work on the same things but also tried to test myself. Batting at No. 5, I either rebuild or have to get on with the game. But the most pleasing thing has been my bowling. I had a chat with Eoin Morgan to get my head around my role. Being fourth or fifth seamer, I sometimes put too much pressure on myself to influence the game. So I spoke to them about not trying to take a wicket every ball and instead aim at going for five or six an over," Stokes said.
Stokes firmly believes England are on the verge of their destiny. Their progress since the disappointing 2015 World Cup is a testament to that, and Stokes expressed that he is proud to be a part of the journey.
"I'm massively proud [to be part of this team]. When our careers end we'll be able to look back and say we have played with the world's best, got to No. 1 but more importantly, played with a good bunch of people. I believe this team is the best at what they do and we're trying to build a path for many years to come: this is what England stand for and how we want to play,” Stokes added.
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