With the squad set to be strengthened by the return of a number of players from injury – including Jofra Archer and Mark Wood – by the time Australia visit next summer with the Ashes on the line, Stokes believes England’s future looks bright. “It’s great to think about,” Stokes said. “Who knows how far we can take this side in the next couple of years? Because we have two of our top fast bowlers who have had major injuries, so you add Jofra and Woody into the mix, it’s scary to think where things could go. And the hits we’ve faced – it’s a very high ceiling.” The Test team’s next challenge will be to continue that form in the lesser-known conditions of Pakistan in December, with Stokes taking the unusual step of encouraging his players not to get carried away by their recent exploits. “I think it would be silly not to reflect on this summer and not take a lot from it because it’s a very special thing that we’ve been able to achieve,” he said. “But it is something we will try to continue when we go to Pakistan. We can’t live off the fact that we’ve won six out of seven games, because we’re going to face a completely different challenge. We want to go there and continue the form we’ve shown, walk into that danger of what Pakistan are going to throw at us.” Stokes also urged commentators not to be too judgmental when the positive approach he encourages fails to bear fruit, warning that young players are being confused by “mixed messages”. “I feel people talking about the way we play should understand that they have a huge influence on the next generation of cricketers,” he said. “People listen to what they say about the game, which sometimes contradicts what we have to say.” Zak Crawley, who has come under considerable criticism in a difficult summer, capped it off with a classy and unbeaten 69, including a match-ending punch through cover for four. It was his first half-century in 18 innings since his ton in Antigua in March, which saw nine single-figure scores and two ducks. Zak Crawley (left) and Ollie Pope celebrate after Crawley hit the winning runs against South Africa. Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images “What we’ve seen from Zak here is what we know he can produce,” Stokes said. “That innings would give Zac a huge confidence boost. He knows he has the support of the dressing room, but there can always be that self-doubt when things don’t go your way, and the way he went out and played on Sunday was just awesome. It gives me and everyone else in the dressing room a huge boost and you feel proud of your players when they go out and do something like that.” Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers’ thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s action Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Ollie Robinson was named man of the match after taking seven wickets, including five for 49 in South Africa’s first innings, and said at the launch that it took Stokes’ “total honesty” to push him to new levels of fitness and consistency. “Everything I say to my players, they know it’s for the best of reasons and the conversations I’ve had with Ollie, he’s gone and understood,” Stokes said. “Criticism is something that if I ever do, it’s purely based on what I think is best for that person going forward as a player or as a person. It’s something I did with Ollie and so we saw the impact it had on them [last] two test matches”. With three Tests in Pakistan and two in New Zealand to come in the winter, Stokes said it would be premature to spend too much time thinking about next summer’s Ashes series – but that it was impossible to ignore it completely. “When you know you’ve got an Ashes coming up so soon, it’s hard not to look at it – especially with how the last Ashes trip went,” he said. “I’m excited about the Ashes next summer, especially with the way we’re playing. We know how good Australia is. I’m looking at it, but we have a lot to do before that.”
