"Ben Stokes shared a hug with Joe Root and spoke of an awesome feeling after watching his England side claw back some respectability on this failed Ashes tour with a rollercoaster two-day victory in Melbourne. Of the England squad, none had felt the pain of an 18-match winless streak more than the captain and his predecessor. Stokes had played in 13 Tests here without ever tasting a victory, while for Root the number was 17."
"Losing Jofra Archer to a side strain only deepened the growing sense of crisis. The couple of days leading up to this Test match were obviously difficult for us, said Stokes. The way in which the leadership group - Baz [head coach Brendon McCullum], myself, the other coaches and senior players - were able to keep as much focus as possible on the cricket was important."
Ben Stokes and Joe Root embraced after England chased 175 on a bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch that produced 36 wickets in six sessions. The victory ended an 18-match winless run for the squad, with Stokes having played 13 Tests and Root 17 Tests in Australia without a win. Both players are 34 and faced the possibility that this tour could be their last chance to win in Australia. England's chase restored respectability on an otherwise failed Ashes tour and removed the narrative of not winning a game. The leadership group, including head coach Brendon McCullum, kept focus amid tough days and injury setbacks such as Jofra Archer's side strain.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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