- Talisman gave dressing-room speech after Afghanistan shock
- Matthew Mott will not make wholesale changes for key game
He may not yet have strapped his pads on in anger – though that moment is only days away – but Ben Stokes has made his first significant contribution to England’s World Cup campaign: delivering a speech in the dressing room after the dismal defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday that has helped to bolster the team’s crushed morale.
It is a job he has done before, in Melbourne when England lost against Ireland in the T20 World Cup last year – after which they won every remaining game to take the trophy. “He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways,” said Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach. “He certainly spoke really well the other day, and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves.
Written by Simon Burnton in Mumbai
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/17/spiritual-leader-ben-stokes-rallies-england-for-south-africa-challenge under the title “‘Spiritual leader’ Ben Stokes rallies England for South Africa challenge”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
