I let the team down in The Ashes with my performances: Ben Stokes

The England side suffered a hammering Down Under in the 2021-22 Ashes series against Australia. The Joe Root-led side was thrashed 0-4 in the five-match Test series and went down meekly in the land of the kangaroos.

Stokes stated that he feels he let both himself as well as a lot of other people down with his performance in The Ashes. Adding that he never wants to feel that way again, the all-rounder said that all England cricketers have learnt some harsh lessons in Australia.

“When I look back on it, I felt I let myself down but the thing that really grinds me the most and hurts me the most is that I let a lot of other people down and I never want to feel that way again. Everyone’s taken some good hard lessons from Australia,” said Ben Stokes as quoted by The Guardian.

I would have liked to have been in better shape: Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes also admitted that the entire England side has some honest reflections to make after their poor performance in The Ashes. Adding that he feels as if he personally let his team down, Stokes said that he would have liked to have been in better physical shape during The Ashes series.

“Looking back on Australia, we’ve had some honest reflections not only as a team but individuals as well. I personally felt I let the team down with more than just performances: I would have liked to have been in better physical shape,” added Stokes.

Stokes also added that England have a massive summer ahead where they will play a lot of cricket. The 30-year-old also made it clear that Test cricket is the most important format for him.

“There’s a massive summer ahead, a lot of cricket to play and you just have to look at the schedules at times and think what’s the most important thing – and Test cricket is the most important for me,” concluded Stokes.