'England were terrible at Test cricket' - Eoin Morgan lauds Ben Stokes' impact on red-ball side ahead of Ashes

Former England skipper Eoin Morgan has lauded Test skipper Ben Stokes for his impact on players in the dressing room. He praised Stokes ahead of England's highly anticipated Ashes clash against recently crowned World Test Champions Australia. 

England have turned a corner in the longest format of the game ever since the arrival of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as the captain-coach duo. Speaking about Stokes' ability to back his players, England's World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan revealed the impact it had on the players in the dressing room.

"You can tell it speaks volumes both on and off the field and it rings clear in the changing room, so it should be no different for anybody in the public. When you have a leader like that, it's great because there's just clear, transparent direction in where you're going and what you want to achieve," Morgan said, praising the Test captain to a media outlet.

A draw isn't the task, they want to win, their eyes are on the prize: Morgan

Under the leadership of Ben Stokes, England are playing a fearless brand of cricket, swatting aside opposition with utter disdain. While reclaiming the Ashes is of utmost importance to the English side, Morgan feels the team would not compromise on their playing style and go for the kill instead of settling for a draw.

The former skipper reckoned that the current approach seems to suit the players as Stokes has been able to get the best out of them over the last year. England hosts their arch-rivals at Edgbaston in the first match of the series, commencing on June 16. 

"A draw isn't the task, they want to win, their eyes are on the prize, and he seems to get more out of his own players that way. For the best part of four or five years, England were terrible at Test match cricket, they tried fighting and being dogged, defensive and playing the long game, and that just doesn't work," Morgan said about England's Test cricket approach.]