"I have seen no captain ever having an impact like Ben Stokes" -  Alastair Cook praises England skipper for red-ball revamp

Former England captain Alastair Cook has credited Ben Stokes for turning the Test team around since taking charge.

Despite trailing 2-1 in the Ashes and losing out on the urn, England have made a huge statement by sticking with their aggressive approach in high pressure circumstances.

Stokes has also been helped with the appointment of Brendon McCullum as head coach. With aligned ideas, it did not take long for them to flag off the new bold and brazen approach. The 'Bazball' method yielded results straightaway in the form of series wins over New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan.

Opining that creating a positive team environment has helped revive a lot of players, Alastair Cook said in an interaction with the Times of India:

“Stokes once told me, ‘What’s the difference between trying to defend and nicking to the ’keeper and trying to score runs and getting caught in the outfield? Both are getting out.’ That’s the way he thinks and he has been able to make his players think on similar lines.”

He continued:

“I have seen no captain ever having an impact like Stokes. But I don’t want to get carried away because he still has a lot of years left in him and a captain should be judged only at the end of his stint.”

'Bazball's' biggest challenge will arguably come in the form of a grueling five-match Test series in India next year. England suffered a 3-1 series loss the last time they toured the subcontinent in 2021 and were outplayed 0-4 in 2017.

Cook was the last captain to guide a team to a red-ball series win on Indian soil. He led England to a 2-1 win during the four-match Test series in 2012.

Assessing the team's chances for the tour in early 2024, Cook said:

“The England team under me lost 0-4 in India. After that, Root’s team lost 1-3. Yes, they will play in a completely different way this time when they go and they might still lose against the quality of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. But they will have nothing to lose and I can guarantee you, they won’t die wondering.”

The BCCI released the schedule for the Test series between India and England earlier this week. The five-match affair will take place from January 25 to March 11.

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"I sincerely feel they deserve more out of this series" - Alastair Cook on England's performances in the 2023 Ashes

England were only five wickets away from taking the 2023 Ashes series into the fifth Test with all to play for. However, rain swept out the entirety of the final day of the fourth Test, helping Australia retain their precious 2-1 lead and the urn as well.

Following successive defeats to begin the Ashes with, England fought back with a win at Headingley, Leeds. They were the dominant team across the first four days at Manchester as well, with the Aussies trailing by 61 runs with only five wickets in hand when rain played spoilsport.

Alastair Cook feels that England atleast deserve a series draw for their efforts. He said:

“They [Australia] have retained the Ashes all right, but had it not been for the rain, we would probably have gone to the fifth Test 2-2. But at the Oval, England have a very good chance of levelling it, and I sincerely feel they deserve more out of this series.”

The fifth Ashes Test is scheduled to begin from Thursday, July 27, at The Oval in London.