Moeen Ali called on England’s other batters to “come to the party” because the side “can’t rely on Ben Stokes all the time”, after the captain put on another masterclass to haul the team from imminent peril to near parity at Headingley.
Stokes was England’s last man out for 80, more than double anyone else’s tally, and dragged his side from 68 for four when he came to the crease to 142 for seven at lunch and 237 all out, just 26 behind Australia’s first-innings total.
“He’s a brilliant player but I think it’s the situations more than anything,” Moeen said of Stokes. “He loves those and thrives off them, but we can’t rely on him all the time. We do have other very good players who need to come to the party as well. I know they’re really hungry to score runs and hopefully chase down whatever Australia get.
“I think Ben’s the one player in the world everybody would be thinking – especially Australia because he’s done it against them a couple of times now – as long as he’s there, white-ball, red-ball, whatever it is, England have always got a brilliant chance of winning. As long as he’s there we’ve got a good chance. But we’ve got guys who’ve got in and got out, we’ve got guys who want to stand up and not just rely on Ben.”
Stokes was dealing with a strained glute, to add to his already injured right knee, and there were times during his innings, and particularly as he pressed the accelerator after lunch – he ended with six fours and five sixes – when he barely looked fit enough to swing a bat. “There’s so much he’s dealing with,” Moeen said. “I think when I was batting with him his hip was a little bit sore, and I think there’s a lot more than he’s showing. His body has been through a lot. One thing with Ben, he can’t do anything without doing it 100%.”
Moeen’s thoughts were echoed by Andrew McDonald, Australia’s coach. “I think when Ben Stokes is there you’re never in total control,” said McDonald, whose side stood at 116 for four at stumps, with Travis Head and the first-innings centurion, Mitchell Marsh, nursing a lead that had swollen to 142. “We feel we’re in a pretty strong position. It could have been better, there’s no doubt it could have been better, but credit to Ben, his ability to bat with the tail is probably second to none.”
Moeen took the crucial wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, both after hitting untypically poor shots, and given his recent fitness issues said “I surprised myself” by reeling off a 17-over spell. Meanwhile Mark Wood is yet to add to his first-innings five-fer, but his contribution of 10 overs for 12 runs certainly assisted Moeen’s efforts.
“As a spinner it’s amazing to have someone that fast at the other end and then you work in partnership,” Moeen said. “He’s not just bowling fast, he’s not going for many runs. As a spinner you definitely pick up more wickets just by batters being anxious to score.”
