Joe Root backs Ben Stokes to come back stronger after Gabba drubbing

Ben Stokes might have failed to impress on Test comeback but skipper Joe Root is not worried about his form. Stokes, who returned to competitive cricket after a long break, had a forgettable outing in the 2021 Ashes opener at the Gabba, scoring merely 14 and 5 and returning wicketless for 65 runs in 12 overs.

The all-rounder sat out for the larger part of 2021, firstly due to a finger injury that he picked during the Indian leg of the 2021 IPL, which ruled him out of the tournament, while he later announced an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental health and wellbeing, missing the home series against India apart from the T20 World Cup 2021.

Initially not named in England’s Ashes squad, he was a late inclusion. But once included, it was understood he was a sure starter, which is how it turned out as he was slotted straight into the XI for the Brisbane Test, which England lost on the fourth morning by nine wickets to give Australia a 1-0 lead in the series.

Root, however, is certain that Stokes will return hungrier come the second fixture of the five-match affair, the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 16, “I’m pretty sure he’ll be fit for Adelaide and one thing, you write Ben Stokes off at your own peril,” said Root after his team’s loss in the first Test on December 11. “He’d be desperate to get back into this series and have a big say in how it all turns out.”

It was frustrating to lose that way; we had put a lot of good work on Day 3: Joe Root

Root, the leading run-scorer in the longest format in 2021 by a fair margin, was distraught by how England fared on the fourth day when they lost eight wickets for merely 77 to set Australia a paltry 20, which they chased in no time at the loss one wicket.

England were wrapped 147 in the first innings, with Pat Cummins, on Test captaincy debut, bagging a fifer. The pressure mounted further when the visitors conceded 425, although crucial knocks from Root himself and No. 3 Malan had pushed England back into force, as they walked only 58 runs behind Australia’s lead on the third day – the spirited fightback only to collapse to a defeat on the next morning.

“It was frustrating. We obviously knew how important that first hour was in particular,” Root said. “It was really important that we got there unscathed and unfortunately, losing those three wickets ahead of that was bitterly disappointing because we had put a lot of good work in last night. I look back at this morning with a little bit of disappointment but ultimately when you’re 40 for four in the first innings, it’s very difficult to get back into the game,” he added. “And when you create as many chances as we did with the ball and not take them [England dropped as many as five catches apart from missing out on a couple of run-out chances], it’s very difficult to look back at just this morning and think that that’s where the game was lost.”