New Delhi: Former England legendary pacer James Anderson admitted he was unimpressed by what he heard from captain Ben Stokes in the aftermath of the series after the team suffered a hefty 1-4 defeat to Australia in the Ashes.
Questions over England’s team culture intensified following their 1-4 defeat to Australia in the Ashes, with the manner of the loss drawing almost as much scrutiny as the result itself. England were outplayed across conditions, preparation, and execution, and criticism has focused on what many see as a lack of intensity and discipline away from the match days.
The gap between the two sides was stark. Australia arrived battle-hardened, while England’s decision to play virtually no warm-up matches before the series raised eyebrows. As the contest wore on, accusations surfaced that England’s players were too relaxed between Tests, an approach that failed to translate into competitiveness once play resumed.
However, Anderson sharpened those concerns by questioning the tone of Stokes’ public praise for his bowlers.
“When I saw Stokes come out and say, the way (Josh) Tongue and (Brydon) Carse have just run in like consistently, I had a Roy Keane moment. I was like, that’s your job. If you’re not willing to run in all day for your team, don’t bother. You’re in the wrong sport,” said Anderson on BBC Radio.
Anderson opined that effort is a non-negotiable, not a selling point, and contrasted England’s outlook with that of an Australian side he felt embodied the baseline standards required at the highest level, singling out Mitchell Starc as the benchmark.
“Starc, for me, was the absolute standout of the series. He bowled on Day 5 of the final Test as quick as he had bowled all series long. He was consistent with his speeds. But that is what you expect from all your bowlers. That is the standard. It always annoys me (when someone says) ‘can’t fault your efforts’. Well, the effort shouldn’t be a thing. It should just be in you.”
Starc’s series underlined Anderson’s point. The left-armer finished as player of the series with 31 wickets and contributed 163 runs, maintaining his pace and aggression deep into the final Test when England were already languishing.
After England’s loss in the fifth and final Ashes Test, which allowed Australia to reclaim the urn, Stokes stated that his team’s efforts throughout the series were not questionable and instead attributed the defeat to poor execution.
“We’ve dropped a lot of catches on this tour, which have been very costly to the overall situation of the games. In terms of stepping up, I can never fault anyone’s commitment or energy that they’ve given into this. We haven’t performed well, we know that, we hold our hands up to that. But no one should question the care and commitment to try and go out there and give it your absolute best. It’s just been down to the lack of execution,” he had said in the post-match press conference.
Anderson’s remarks have added fuel to an already simmering debate about England’s direction under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. While the team’s positive messaging and relaxed environment have been credited with reviving confidence in recent years, the Ashes defeat has prompted fresh questions about whether that culture risks blurring the line between freedom and accountability. IANS
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