The chase is on - why no team can feel safe against Stokes' England

Hands up if you beryllium Ben Stokes an apology?

Who thought he'd taken time off of his cricketing senses erstwhile he opted to section successful nan first Test against India?

As chasing leather nether burning sunshine connected Friday gave measurement to chasing triumph nether moody clouds connected Tuesday, location were plentifulness of america forced to admit Stokes was right. Again.

This was different Headingley classic. Not rather rubbing nan heights of Stokes successful 2019 aliases Ian Botham successful 1981, but knocking disconnected 371 successful comparative comfortableness is different introduction into nan lore of nan celebrated aged ground. Ben Duckett, pinch his swashbuckling 149, is nan newest campaigner to beryllium immortalised by nan Burley Banksy.

There were reasons for Stokes to judge he would beryllium vindicated: Headingley is nan only crushed successful nan past 14 years wherever Test batting has sewage easier innings connected innings.

But 371 is simply a batch of runs, an magnitude historically not chased often. Throw successful a transportation spitting for illustration a cobra from a magnitude astatine 1 end, Jasprit Bumrah bowling missiles and move for Ravindra Jadeja, and England were 2nd favourites.

England, though, are turning into ultimate chasers. On location pitches, that property for illustration good wine, England will bat 2nd unless location is irrefutable grounds not to. Listen to what Stokes says astatine a toss: "We'll person a chase", not "we'll person a bowl".

Since Stokes became captain, England person won nan flip 10 times successful location Tests. They person batted 2nd successful nine, winning seven, losing 1 and drafting nan different – nan Old Trafford Ashes Test, which they would person won had it not been for nan Manchester weather. The 1 clip they batted first, they lost.

This latest mightiness not moreover beryllium nan champion pursuit. Trent Bridge against New Zealand, Edgbaston against India and Headingley against Australia, pinch nan threat of going 3-0 down successful nan Ashes, were each arguably arsenic good, if not better.

Most encouraging was nan mode successful which England went astir overhauling nan target. They scored astatine a very brisk 4.54 an over, yet did truthful successful a controlled manner. Up and down nan gears, knowing erstwhile to onslaught and erstwhile to beryllium in. There was akin nous shown successful nan first innings and against Zimbabwe past month.

"It was Bazball pinch brains," said erstwhile England skipper Michael Vaughan. "They played nan situation. That's a motion of a young England broadside that is starting to usage their smartness."

It was besides different illustration of England being incredibly difficult to beat. India scored 835 runs crossed nan lucifer and lost. Only 3 teams successful Test history person amassed much and been connected nan incorrect extremity of nan result. Spots two, 3 and 4 successful that database are each occupied by teams beaten by Stokes' England.

Before Stokes took complete arsenic skipper successful 2022, it had been 74 years since a squad scored much than 775 runs successful a Test and lost. It has now happened 4 times successful nan past 3 years, each astatine nan hands of nan Bazballers, starring to nan mobility of what nan guidance has to do successful bid to consciousness safe against this England team.

The run-scoring is simply a merchandise of astir apt nan strongest batting line-up successful Test cricket. Any questions complete Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley person been answered by their starts to nan summer, while Joe Root and Harry Brook inhabit nan apical 2 spots successful nan world rankings.

They person been joined successful nan apical 10 by Duckett, connected nan backmost of his champion innings successful an England shirt.

In nan past 22 years, nan different England openers to people hundreds successful nan 4th innings of a Test person ended up pinch knighthoods. Duckett now has a amended mean astatine nan apical of nan bid than some Sirs Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss. Arise, Sir Ben of nan Buckett Hat.

"My mindset personally was a spot different to what it has been complete nan past mates of years," said Duckett. "I was trying to attraction connected cardinal moments. It's perchance a spot of maturity from maine kicking in."

The thrill of England's pursuit does not mean location is nary room for improvement. Stokes looked scratchy pinch nan bat, for illustration a man who has only been successful nan mediate 3 times since December. He is without a Test 100 successful almost 2 years.

Having to pursuit each those runs intends conceding them successful nan first place, and barroom Stokes and Brydon Carse, England's bowling looked toothless connected nan first time successful Leeds. Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue improved arsenic nan crippled went on, truthful should beryllium amended astatine Edgbaston adjacent week. Tongue lived up to his nickname – 'The Mop' – successful cleaning up India's tail successful some innings.

Perhaps nan biggest interest was off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who went for 3-190 crossed nan match. He struggled to extract move aliases induce mendacious shots and his 3 wickets came from catches successful nan deep, suggesting nan only measurement India's batters were going to get retired was if they sewage aft him.

In a short profession Bashir has shown a knack of recovering from reliable games and will clasp Stokes' unwavering support, but his performances should beryllium watched closely.

This was nan opening of a decisive play for Stokes' England, moreover if nan skipper regularly rejected thing looking beyond this India bid to nan Ashes successful nan winter.

As a starter for 10, it was nan eventual appetite whetter.

"Ben and Baz McCullum person created a awesome vibe astir nan group," said Vaughan. "When nan pressure's really on, they smile, they laugh. They look to beryllium capable to play for illustration it's successful their backmost garden. It's an astonishing expertise and mentality to person arsenic a cricket team, agelong whitethorn that continue.

"This is nan week that I commencement to get somewhat excited. The past clip England won successful Australia, and I cognize it's a agelong measurement off, they had a stone coagulated apical seven. If England tin transportation playing for illustration they person done this week, they should beryllium capable to get connected that level pinch a rock-solid apical seven."

Speaking of a coagulated apical seven, Australia will look to move connected from their World Test Championship disappointment erstwhile they return connected nan West Indies successful Barbados connected Wednesday.

They will do truthful pinch an unfamiliar apical order: a 19-year property spread betwixt openers Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas, Cam Green again shoe-horned successful astatine 3 and Josh Inglis batting astatine 4 contempt only doing it connected 1 erstwhile juncture successful first-class cricket. It will beryllium nan first clip successful 7 years nan Aussies person been without astatine slightest 1 of nan injured Steve Smith aliases dropped Marnus Labuschagne successful their team.

England's chase, successful each sense, is on.