With ‘nothing to lose’ ten angry men will try and get back into the Ashes by copying the ice cold heroics of Ben Stokes at Headingley.
Stokes’ performance in the second innings at Lord’s is now the template for the rest of the team who are looking for a way to make an impact and not only right any wrongs, but also get a first win on the ledger. That is the most important thing for England to achieve in Leeds this week.
A win at the end of five days thanks to their cricketing ability above all else. But neither they nor the Australians can ignore the effect that Jonny Bairstow's Lord’s dismissal will have on the game, the crowd and their own performance.
And with England’s players itching to take out their frustrations in the middle, they have been told to make sure they keep their emotions in check as they do it. Controlled aggression is the tactic of choice for a match that is dripping with significance far beyond it being just another Ashes Test.
“We’ve got nothing to lose,” said batter Joe Root, who is expected to move to number three in Ollie Pope’s absence. “We'll throw everything at it. And I think it's time for us to start writing our script.
“You’ve got to let the emotions get you into a place where you’re still very much in control of what you are doing and thinking. I think the perfect example was Ben, the way he played on the back of it. He plays that situation better than anyone I have ever seen.
“A younger Ben Stokes might have let his emotions override what he needed to do, but you look at how he gets himself into that zone. I think it's a brilliant example for the rest of the guys to follow. Use all that fuel, but do it in a very controlled manner.
“Everyone will deal with it slightly differently, but it's still about being very much in control of everything. And not letting it get too carried away.”
There have been times in recent series where arguably things have spilled over the top such as when Michael Clarke told Jimmy Anderson to get ready for a ‘broken f***ing arm.’ And Root is unsure of just how things will play out between the teams at Headingley where the crowd can be notoriously hostile, and add to the sense of occasion.
“I dunno really,” said Root. “We’ll see, won’t we? We’ll see how the atmosphere is throughout this Test. For us we have three opportunities to win the Ashes.
“We have to play well for three games and we’ve shown on recent form we’re more than capable of doing that. We’ve got a must-win game and we have to grab this opportunity with both hands. We’re going to have brilliant support and we’ve got to thrive off that
“We love playing at this venue. You go back to 2019, that Ashes environment, the crowd and the atmosphere created throughout that Test was incredible. That’s why we love playing here.”
And one thing that is abundantly clear, is that England will be staying squeaky clean in the way they go about it. “There is a certain way that we want to play our cricket, and we want to leave a legacy,” added Root. “I guess as a player it’s about how you want to be remembered.”
