England Captain Stokes Hails Opening Duo's Heroics in Thrilling Chase Against India

Ben Stokes, the England captain, has praised the pivotal role played by openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in their remarkable run chase against India at Headingley. The duo's opening stand of 188 runs set the stage for England to successfully chase down a target of 371.

While Duckett's stunning 149 grabbed headlines, Stokes emphasized the significance of Crawley's contribution of 65 runs, highlighting the complementary dynamic they bring to the team's batting order.

England's opening pair set the stage for victory. © Getty

"When you're chasing 370, a good start is crucial," Stokes noted. "Minimizing early wickets is important, but the way Zak and Duckett approached it, taking on the game, was massive."

Stokes elaborated on the synergy between the two batsmen: "They complement each other so well. Left-hand, right-hand combination, different statures, it makes it tough for bowlers to settle. It's hard to find rhythm. When they're in for a long time, it can be a nightmare for the opposition. While Duckett got the 149, Zak's 65 was equally vital. He understood the situation perfectly, allowing Duckett to apply pressure." He concluded by saying that "That opening partnership for us at the top has been very, very good over the last couple of years."

Duckett's Mastery Against Spin

Duckett's dominance against Ravindra Jadeja, particularly his audacious use of the reverse sweep, also drew praise. Stokes hailed him as a world-class player of spin, emphasizing the effectiveness of his reverse sweep. He revealed that he even sought Duckett's advice during the innings. "He's one of the best in the world at doing reverse sweeps and he's a fantastic player of spin, in particular on really tricky surfaces."

"I just had a little word with him about what he thought I could potentially look at to give myself a better chance. When you're in there, you feel like you're either getting forward or getting back and trying to manipulate on the leg side."

"Just going in with a clear game and reverse sweeps was something I went out there with. Yeah, it's a difficult condition, but again, just going back to being clear and confident in what I needed to do to try and knock those men [close-in fielders] off."

England's Winning Formula

This victory marked the sixth time under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum that England has successfully chased a target of 250 or more in the fourth innings. Stokes attributed their success to a simple, relaxed approach.

"I think we're just... We're a very simple-minded pair, me and Baz, I think, when it comes to cricket. Obviously, everyone knows what cricket's about. It's about scoring one more run than the opposition. And when you strip it all back, that's what it's like. So we just try to keep everything as simple, calm as we possibly can," Stokes said.

"When you're chasing down totals like that, how you are in the dressing room is actually very important. You know, because the lads have got jobs to go out there and do. And, you know, keeping the sort of calm, relaxed vibe as much as we can throughout the dressing room is so important to sort of the mindset of how someone is to go out there when you're out there in the middle with the pressures of, you know, that situation in particular."

"It was pretty simple yesterday. It was if we bat the overs that is left in this game, we will win this game just because of how quick this ground is at scoring. I don't know what I've read, but it's probably been over four an over [scoring rate] anyway without any team really doing anything... bar Rishabh [Pant]. It's just a very, very quick scoring ground."