England captain Ben Stokes took six wickets in warm-up for 2025-256 Ashes series, but it might have been cricket’s worst five-wicket haul
Like former England all-rounder Ian Botham, Stokes has an uncanny ability to take wickets with innocuous-looking deliveries.Credit: Getty Images
Stokes even held his head with both hands, then seemed to ask, “What was that?” He opened his hands as if to say. to teammate Joe Root, before dropping his hands to his hips in a dazed teacup pose after all-rounder Will Jacks flicked at the mid-on scout and was caught by Archer at the fine leg area.
Jacks, who top-scored with 84 in the Lions’ 382, was also stunned by his own poor shot and held the pose for a short while.
England could argue that these dismissals show why the improving Lions are here; because they need to experience Australian pitches and learn to deal with the rising ball.
Stokes’ semi-stalking runners could be a tactic he uses against Australia, who are likely to have an Optus Stadium deck with more pace and bounce than Lilac Hill.
But the fact that the home side also did not expect their top order to fall to such incompetent shooting raises the question – as England fans did on social media in response to these six dismissals – why did the tourists not choose to play the Australian state XI in a serious match?
Loading
England great Ian Botham has repeatedly said the tourists need to get tougher preparation by playing for the state side and described their current schedule as “bordering on arrogance”.
But former Australian batsman Simon Katich said England’s decision could work in their favor as it did not give any Australians a first-hand chance of making a hole in their own game in domestic conditions.
News, results and expert analysis from the sports weekend are delivered every Monday. Sign up for our sports newsletter.
