Time for the talking to stop for Ben Stokes and England

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It may seem strange for an England captain who has not addressed the media in five months to say the time for talking has stopped but the message from Ben Stokes at Lord’s was clear — it is now down to his side to back up the words of the long Ashes inquest with actions.

The pressure is on Stokes and England when, weather permitting, they take on New Zealand on Thursday at the start of the first Test series since their Bazball world came crashing down around them at the hands of Australia last winter.

It was at the home of cricket four years ago that Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum were first brought together by managing director Rob Key and unveiled a thrilling new brand that saw them thump New Zealand 3-0.

Now, with the limitations of their all-out attacking policy being exposed like never before in the biggest series of them all, Bazball 3.0 will be launched by a more “refined” and “smart” England who know they have little margin for error against a strong New Zealand.

“There’s been so much talk because the last time we played a Test was in January,” said Stokes on Wednesday. “But what I say doesn’t really matter.

“It’s the end of the game that everyone will care about and whether we win or lose. We’ve done all the talking as a team. We know the areas and improvements we want to see. It’s about going out there and doing it. We are desperate to win.”

It is rare for an England captain to escape most of the flak after an Ashes humbling but it is McCullum who has found his position under scrutiny far more than Stokes.

No-one has called for the captain’s head but Stokes, who turns 35 on Thursday, has questions to answer when he leads his side into action, most particularly over his batting that has been in steady decline and now sees him demoted in the order to No. 7.

In his first 68 Tests, Stokes made 4,517 runs at 37.95 with 10 centuries but in his past 52 games he has made 2,699 at 30.67 with only four hundreds. In the Ashes, he averaged 18.40 despite seemingly going against McCullum and dropping anchor in making 83 off 198 balls on a belting pitch in the third Test in Adelaide.

Stokes said the decision to bat wicketkeeper Jamie Smith ahead of him at No. 6 was more a reflection of the Surrey man’s ability than his own shortcomings and that now the captain will have a little more time to “switch off.”

“It’s something we’ve been discussing for a while,” said Stokes. “Maybe we’re not utilising Jamie’s skill-set with the bat as much as we could with him at seven, so we just want to give him more time to build an innings. I know it’s only one position but it’s quite a big change. I’m 35 tomorrow and Jamie’s going to be playing a lot longer than me.”

The change could lead to Stokes opening the bowling, which he did earlier this season for Durham, but that move will not come in this first Test with the captain saying the new ball will be shared at Lord’s by the returning Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson.

All eyes will be on Robinson, now 32, to see whether he really has put behind him the fitness and perceived attitude problems that saw England seemingly turn away from him after he suffered another back injury in Ranchi during the 4-1 defeat by India in 2024.

“I hope he’s the same bowler we saw before because he’s bloody good,” said Stokes of Robinson. “We’ve spoken to Ollie and he knows the reason he’s found himself back here is because he’s done what we wanted to see from him.

“When he is operating at his best, he is world-class and now he’s here it’s about him staying for as long as he can. Hopefully we will see Ollie Robinson in an England shirt for the next four, five or six years because he’s a very good bowler.”

As Robinson returns, Emilio Gay makes his debut at the top of the order and his Durham team-mate Stokes addressed the opener in the dressing room when England gathered for the first time this season.

“One thing I said to him yesterday in front of everyone was don’t change,” said Stokes. “He’s got a lot of runs this season doing what Emilio Gay does. So don’t think you’ve got to do anything different playing for England. He has earnt the right to be here.”

Gay may yet be joined by a second debutant in Sonny Baker if the worst of the grim weather forecasts for St John’s Wood prove accurate and the toss is delayed into Friday, negating the need for a specialist spinner. Otherwise, Shoaib Bashir will make his return after missing the whole of the Ashes.

“Bash has worked on some technical things which you will see and we’re really happy with the progression he’s made as a bowler,” said Stokes. “He’s been bowling for Derbyshire and he’s someone we see having a very long career with England. He’s in a great place.”

The biggest debate at Lord’s on Wednesday actually revolved around a missing player. Jofra Archer is unavailable because he played in the latter stages of the Indian Premier League with the Rajasthan Royals, even though he remains a centrally-contracted player for England.

It is an absence that has caused considerable debate and drew sharp criticism from former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull on the Sky Cricket podcast. “It’s absolutely ludicrous,” said Doull. “How are you paying this guy upwards of £1million a year and he’s not playing in your first Test?

“The last time New Zealand came here in 2022, Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Trent Boult were all practising in-between games at the IPL with a red ball. They were ready to go when they arrived here five days before the first Test.

“There is no reason why Jofra Archer couldn’t have been bowling six or seven overs each day in-between matches in India with a red ball and the fact he’s not doing that tells me he has no interest in playing Test cricket.”

Stokes defended Archer and also, significantly, gave a warning to the game that “things could get messy” if countries tried to stop their best players playing in the franchise leagues that are rapidly taking over the cricketing world.

“I totally understand people’s frustrations but there is another side to this,” said Stokes. “A lot of it has to do with the landscape of cricket and where it’s at. It’s completely different now and there are opportunities for cricketers there were not 10 or 15 years ago.

“In an ideal world, we would have everyone available but that is not the way of cricket at the moment. I get both sides of the story and there is a situation where it could get messy if you handle it in a different way and players like Jofra might not play for England again.

“Jofra has shown he’s committed to and loves playing for England. Just because he’s not available for this Test does not change that.”

It is a debate that is not going away but for now, England and Stokes must win without Archer. Otherwise, things might just get messy.