England suffered another major Ashes blow in Adelaide, with their batting line-up faltering under intense pressure despite assistant coach Marcus Trescothick insisting the team had not let down captain Ben Stokes.
The stage was set as England’s batsmen finally proved their mettle against Australia’s meager first innings total of 371.
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However, rather than seize the initiative, they were comprehensively dismantled and at the end of the second day their eight-man tally was an impressive 213 points.
The collapse occurred in sweltering conditions, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees, and there were no obvious demons on the course.
The top three batsmen returned to the pavilion within the first 10 overs and the rest soon followed suit.
Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon shared the wickets, taking advantage of conditions that should have posed a greater challenge to the Australian attack.
Zak Crawley was one of England’s batsmen who failed miserably again (Getty Images)
Judging by the stumps, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Harry Brooke, Jamie Smith and Will Jacks all have series averages below 30, which is a stark indictment of their collective struggles.
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Stokes, however, stood firm and hit just three boundaries in an uncharacteristically bowled 45 off 151 hard-fought deliveries.
His innings were far removed from the aggressive “Bazball” philosophy and instead echoed Jeff Boycott’s defensive resilience.
This defiant stance came at a considerable physical cost, as he battled cramps, limped between the wickets and endured stifling temperatures.
Trescothick dismissed suggestions the side failed to match Stokes’ determination despite the captain’s heroic efforts.
“Honestly, I’m not sure if ‘let him down’ is the right terminology. Everyone is trying 100 per cent and doing the best they can,” he said after England came close to irretrievably trailing 0-3 in the series.
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He continued: “It’s not that everyone doesn’t work as hard as everyone else when they go into any game. They just don’t have the success they want at this stage. But success comes and goes and there’s no guarantee or consideration that you’re going to have success in every series.”
Speaking about Stokes’ unique approach, Trescothick added: “Ben chose to play that way today and do it in the way he felt was right.
“Everyone has an opportunity to try and read the situation and judge what they’re going to try to do; guys are going to play in certain ways and we’re confident they’re going to do that.”
Marcus Trescothick believes Ben Stokes didn’t disappoint (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)
When asked if the other hitters made the right call, Trescothick ignored the scoreboard and responded: “Pretty much, yeah.”
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Regarding Stokes’ physical condition, Trescothick confirmed: “He is tired and a bit dehydrated. He was cramping for most of the last training session.” This is a testament to his willingness to challenge his body to the limit throughout his career.
“That’s what he does, it almost keeps him focused. He’s at his best when he’s in that frame of mind, when things are really tricky and tough, when there are conditions or situations where other people can’t succeed,” he explained.
“He found it difficult to eat enough carbohydrates because he was sweating so quickly. He couldn’t drink enough water because he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. But he soldiered on, worked hard, and kept going for a long time.”
