AUS vs ENG: "This Ashes Won’t Define Us" – Ollie Robinson Reveals Ben Stokes’ Speech After Manchester Test
Published - 27 Jul 2023, 12:42 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:16 AM
England pacer Ollie Robinson has revealed skipper Ben Stokes’ speech after the fourth Test of the Ashes 2023 at Old Trafford in Manchester was washed out and Australia retained the trophy. He opened up about how the captain told them that a little moment in their career won’t define them.
England faced a massive heartbreak as even after producing an unbelievable performance, the game ended in a draw and the reason behind that was rain. A draw wouldn’t have been this hurtful had it not helped Australia retain the Ashes.
The Ben Stokes-led made a staggering comeback in the series after facing two back-to-back losses. They were better than Australia in Headingley and then came up with an even better performance in Manchester. They dominated the visitors on the first three days but who knew the rain would wash out the last two days and the game would end in a draw.
The draw has cost England a lot as they are no longer in a position to win the series. The Ashes is gone and even if they win the series it would end in a draw. It’s fair to say that it would be really frustrating for them and had they won the game there, high chances could’ve been there of winning the game.
Ollie Robinson while calling the Manchester Test frustrating said how Ben Stokes told the team that this Ashes series won’t define them and they should be proud of the way they have left the imprint on the game. Writing in his column for Wisden, he said:
“The frustrating thing about Manchester was that for three days it really came off, and we played exactly how we’ve talked about wanting to. The bowlers were unbelievable and the batters smacked it everywhere. The game epitomised where we’re at and what we’re trying to do, and it was almost the perfect game.The lads were flat that evening.
“We felt that we’d had a pretty good series and made most of the Test matches the games that they were. But Stokesy made a very good speech afterwards, saying that this Ashes series won’t define us as players, that we’re about the imprint that we’re trying to leave on cricket. We want youngsters growing up wanting to play the game the way that we play it, and that’s not going to stop just because we don’t have the urn. This is what we’re trying to create. This little moment in our career isn’t going to define us.”
AUS vs ENG: If we dwell on it for too long it’s going to eat us up – Ollie Robinson Reveals Ben Stokes’ Speech
Ollie Robinson continued how Ben Stokes instilled positivity in the team and urged them to shift their focus to the next game. He revealed how the skipper told them they won’t allow Australia to win their first series in England since 2001. The captain concluded by saying that regardless of the result they will celebrate because of the way they have played. He said:
“If we dwell on it for too long it’s going to eat us up. It’s been and gone. We’re looking at this week, and then the winter in India, and how we can carry on this form of cricket. We’ve seen the viewing numbers and they’re the highest they’ve been in a long time, and for us that’s really rewarding to see. People around the world and the country are watching and enjoying what we’re doing. Perhaps it seems that we’re trying to squirm out of it because we’ve not regained the Ashes, but for us as a team, we have to look to the future.
“The Oval’s massive. We’ve got to throw everything at winning this game. If we can end the summer dominating the Aussies at The Oval and putting on a show, putting bums on seats, that’s where we want to be, and that’s what we’re going to try to do. Australia haven’t won a series in England since 2001, and we don’t want to let that record go this week. Regardless of the result, this England team will celebrate hard after it, because of the way we’ve played. We’ve been true to ourselves.”
The Ashes series currently stands at 2-1 with Australia in the lead. The fifth and final Test of Ashes 2023 will be played from 27th July at The Oval in London.
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Ashes 2023 AUS vs ENG Australia National Cricket Team Ben Stokes England National Cricket Team Ollie Robinson
