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Key Takeaways
- 1đź“Š Stokes: 183 runs, 13 wickets amid team slide.
- 2🏆 Series 3-? down; echoes past Aussie humiliations.
- 3đź’ˇ Demands teammates step up from 'lambs'.
- 4đź”® Sydney decider for Ashes urn.
- 5đź’¬ "Tough tour pressure" - Stokes.
"At times during England's Ashes defeat in Australia it has looked like Ben Stokes is a lion leading lambs and his team-mates must step up, writes chief cricket reporter Stephan Shemilt. "
England captain Ben Stokes admits captaining a 'lion leading lambs' in the punishing 2025-26 Ashes, carrying 183 runs and 13 wickets amid 3-? series slide. Post-Perth, Melbourne losses, he reveals tour toll—Johnson 2013 thrashing, Covid 2020 echoes, Bristol 2018 scars. Hopes teammates step up.
Stokes' allround heroics mask team frailties; avg 30+ batting, 25 bowling Down Under. This 'anticipated' Ashes faltered—Bazball neutralized by Aussie pace. Past tours: 2017-18 absence; now visible exhaustion demands collective lift.
Stokes' Burden: Numbers Tell Toll
183 runs/13 wickets in 4 Tests outpaces teammates (avg <25). Compared to Root's 2019 haul (500+ runs), Stokes' dual load unsustainable—120 overs bowled. Historical captains like Fleming 2001 shared; England needs Pope, Brook ignition for Sydney.
Series Salvage: Urgency Peaks
Down 3-?, final Tests demand rebellion. Stokes' candor boosts morale, mirroring Pain-Gaine philosophy. Ashes legacy hinges on Sydney—win urn, or 4-1 whitewash? Global Test narrative shifts.
"It's been tough—no doubt." - Ben Stokes on Ashes pressure
Sydney Redemption: Team or Bust
Final Test looms; Stokes seeks support. Watch if lambs roar—Bazball 2.0? This saga cements his legend; fans, pivotal for England's future.
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