England vs Australia Ashes: England captain Ben Stokes has issued a rallying cry to his team, urging them to show "a bit of dog" in the must-win third Ashes Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, starting on Wednesday.
Stokes returns to the Adelaide Oval, the stage of his Test debut 12 years ago, as England aims to halt Australia's authority in the Ashes series. In the match, England will aim to reignite their series revival chances as they are currently trailing by 2-0, facing a daunting task to halt their 17-match winless streak in Australia.
"Definitely. We don't do getting into rooms and have big things up on the screen. We have proper, meaningful conversations. What's been said has been said. I've done all the talking over the last two days that I needed to. All that stuff's done now, so it's about what gets seen out on the field in Adelaide this week," Stokes told reporters on Monday.
"It's just about trying to fight in every situation that you find yourself in, understanding the situation and what you feel is required for your team. Just look at your opposition every single time and show a bit of dog. That's fight to me. You're giving yourself the best possible chance if you've got a bit of dog in you," the England captain added.
The England captain said the Three Lions squad held "meaningful conversations' in the lead-up to Adelaide and suggested that the third Test against India at Lord's in July an inspiration.
"That (Lord's) is exactly what I'm on about. That was a moment where we all did that, we all noticed, and we all identified that moment. And you've seen the way that team came out on that day. We were probably in a situation where we would have to be absolutely perfect to win that game, and we were," Stokes added.
"On the back of attitude, mentality towards that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game. That was spoken about, that India game, for the rest of this series. I've done all the talking over the last two days that I needed to have done," he said.
"All that stuff's done now, so it's about what gets seen out on the field in Adelaide this week. Everyone's very switched on about what needs to be done this week. Yeah, a few more expectations, I think, around the group, but everyone responded incredibly well to it. Because what other option do we have?" he elaborated.
England has made one change to their playing XI, with Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson.