Former England captain Michael Atherton has raised serious questions about Ben Stokes’ declining batting form and leadership, especially after England’s heavy defeat to India in the second Test at Edgbaston. Calling it the “sternest test” of Stokes’ captaincy so far, Atherton highlighted how the all-rounder’s batting returns have dipped with each passing year since taking over the reins. “To add to the problems of back-to-back matches, little rest, a heavy defeat and bad judgment is his own form with the bat, which has declined with each year he has been in the job,” Atherton wrote in his column for The Times. The third Test at Lord’s will mark two years since Stokes last scored a Test hundred, which was his 13th, against Australia in the Ashes. Atherton believes his current position, playing just one format by choice, leaves him underprepared at a critical time. “As a dedicated one-format player who does not play much cricket outside Tests — sometimes of his own accord — Stokes is in the invidious position of being short of rhythm and form just when he needs to lead from the front,” Atherton added.
Drawing a contrast, Atherton praised Indian captain Shubman Gill for his composure and technique against spin. “While Stokes has looked shaky against spin, his opposite number is lording it. Gill’s returns in this series have been immense and the victory at Edgbaston was driven by his vision, determination and single-mindedness. “England have a plan to Gill to target his stumps early on, by running the ball back into his pads, but he has not looked like getting out. Gill’s weariness after Edgbaston will be of a completely different kind to Stokes’s.” On England’s bowling front, Atherton called for changes ahead of the Lord’s Test. He backed the inclusion of Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson despite their limited red-ball workload in recent times. “Clearly the pace attack needs freshening up. When the SOS went to Archer in 2019 at Lord’s as a way of stopping Steve Smith, the fast bowler was at the top of his game, despite not having played Test cricket. Will he be as good as before? Can he be? His readiness for the five-day game after just one first-class match in four years is a complete unknown, yet he will surely play.”
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Atherton also highlighted Atkinson’s record at the venue. “Gus Atkinson has a tremendous record at Lord’s, with ball and bat, but has not played since tweaking his hamstring against Zimbabwe six weeks ago. Pairing with Archer represents a gamble, but if taken (one must assume they are fit once selected in the squad) it means that the third seamer must be ready to bowl long spells.” He noted that Chris Woakes, despite his history at Lord’s, has had a poor series. “Yet (Chris) Woakes, who also has a superb record at Lord’s, is 36 years old and has taken three wickets at an average of 96 in this series. His possible replacement, Sam Cook, was unconvincing in his only Test,” Atherton stated. Despite the challenges, Atherton urged caution over reactionary changes. “Panicked changes are rarely the way to go after defeat. I’d keep faith with the batting and freshen up the seam attack, bringing in Archer and Atkinson for Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse. Right now, though, you’d want to be in Gill’s shoes not England’s. What a test of leadership this is for Stokes.”
