They are a team that believes they can win anything: Former England captain Allan Lamb on Ben Stokes’ side

Ben Stokes led from the front as England went on to register one of its most thrilling wins against India in recent times at Lord’s. As things got tough and India tried its best to dominate the game, Stokes extracted every bit from his teammates and ensured the side put up a spirited show to take a much-needed lead in the five-match series.

Former England captain Allan Lamb believes that while England has slowly realised that it’s important to adapt to the horses for courses approach, instead of getting into the Bazball mode every time, it is Stokes who has instilled that belief and positive mindset in the dressing room.

“When it comes to even chasing 180 on the last day, it is still a big thing in the mind, especially with India losing those wickets the night before. The pressure was always on India. Stokes had motivated that team. I think everything came down to Stokes, because the night before, he was so fired up. He wanted to bowl as he was fired up. And, he got his whole team behind him,” Lamb told  Sportstar. “They are a team that believes they can win anything. That brought a real positive approach to it…”

Moving on from its Bazball model, where England would invariably insert the opponent and then chase down the target, the team decided to bat first, and that proved crucial.

“Everyone thinks that England is going to play the Bazball [way]. But now, they’ve learned when the wicket is not right to play the Bazball approach, they have to get in. I don’t think it was a great wicket at Lord’s. It was the right wicket to bat first on. It was very difficult to score runs,” he said.

And, England eventually managed to win a low-scoring contest.

While his captaincy has impressed Lamb, he wants to wait before passing a judgment on whether Stokes is one of the finest skippers to have led England. “It’s a little bit early, but his approach is great,” Lamb said.

Allan Lamb of England plays a shot in the second Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, held between June 21 to 26, 1990.
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THE HINDU ARCHIVES

“They have got a very positive approach in terms of the way they play. If the wickets are flat, they’re going to go after the ball. They want to score runs quickly because if you score runs, you get to 500, and by doing that, you are suddenly putting the sides under pressure…”

That’s exactly what India did in Birmingham. “They put England out of the game. That’s what it’s all about. If you score big runs, and the quicker you score them, it’s better because you take the other side out (of the game),” Lamb said.

Turning up the heat

The ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series has been a contrasting mix in some ways—with sedate over-rates and flaring tempers ruling the roost.

Lamb, who belongs to a generation that viewed sledging and banter as going hand-in-hand, feels ‘it’s absolutely alright’ for players to have heated arguments.

“In the second innings, England didn’t want to lose the wicket on that last over. They thought one over was going to be enough, maybe then to survive, which they did. And there was a lot of heated feeling between the two sides. But that’s cricket, that’s what it’s all about,” Lamb said.

“I think (Ravindra) Jadeja running into (Brydon) Carse was a bit accidental, but then, in a series like this, the teams should be fired up. They should be having a go at each other. That’s what cricket is all about. It’s not about patting people on the back. It is alright to have a bit of verbal with the opposition, and telling them, ‘Hey, you are not good enough to be here.’ That’s what cricket is about,” Lamb said.

Reminiscing about his playing days, Lamb, who featured in 79 Tests for England, said: “When I played the game, people used to say, ‘Well, how did you play Test cricket? How did you get selected?’ They go at you and that’s part of the game and there’s nothing personal about it. I think getting into someone’s face is personal, but banters and heated exchanges are absolutely alright in such games…”