England captain Ben Stokes demands his players show spirit and fight ahead of make-or-break third Ashes test against Australia

Any England cricket fan knows that the hopes of an Ashes win Down Under are usually the stuff of dreams, and regardless of how optimistic members of the Barmy Army may have been, reality kicked in pretty quickly into the latest tour of Australia.

The fact that Ben Stokes and his troops lost both their opening two tests is not in and of itself a disaster, but the manner in which they have been found out by a relatively average Aussie side is perhaps the biggest disappointment for England fans watching from afar or sitting in the stands.

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England lost the first test in just two days, and the second test ended in the self-same eight-wicket loss to Australia, albeit on this occasion the Brisbane event did stretch to the fourth day.

Stokes, who can usually be depended on to put in some fight, has made a call to his team to show some spirit in the third test, not least because a failure to win in Adelaide will see England fail to secure the Ashes.

When asked about where instinct comes into the equation in relation to Stokes’ charges’ recent inability to kill off the opposition, Stokes responded.

“It’s a word that I think people don’t really understand what it means. What it means to me could be completely different to someone else.”

“It’s just trying to fight in every situation that you find yourself in and understanding the situation and what you feel is required for your team. Just look at your opposition every single time and show a bit of dog. That’s fight to me.”

“As long as you go out there and everyone is in that mindset around the situation and what is needed, you’re giving yourself the best possible chance if you’ve got a bit of dog in you.”

England’s third test triumph over India over the summer was then referenced as a potential mirror to where things go from here, Stokes echoed.

“That’s exactly what I’m on about,” 

“That was a moment where we all did that, we all noticed, and we all identified that moment.

“You saw the way the team came out on that day. We were probably in a situation where we would have to be absolutely perfect to win that game and we were. On the back of attitude, mentality towards that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game.” Stokes added.

Stokes comes into the test having made an impact of sorts, taking a five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings in the first test before scoring a battling half-century in the second innings last time around.

He knows that he and his teammates will need to put in a much more committed and effective performance to have any chance of rescuing the series and preventing a whitewash in Australia.

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