England captain Ben Stokes says he is proud of the way his players “held firm” to win the fourth Ashes Test after a wave of criticism during the build-up to the match.
A failure to capitalise on good positions after they surrendered the Ashes inside only 11 days of cricket, questions over their preparation and attitude, plus off-the-field issues related to drinking are among the headlines to have blighted the tour.
But a pulsating four-wicket victory in the space of two days in Melbourne, in front of jubilant travelling supporters, meant England avoided the prospect of an Ashes clean sweep.
Stokes said he was “very proud” of the way his side reacted to secure victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending an 18-match winless streak in Australia.
“On the back of everything we had to deal with in this game, I couldn’t be prouder of the way we held firm as a group and as individuals as well,” Stokes told Test Match Special.
“You get tested as leaders within sporting teams and organisations in different ways.
“That was a test of character, a test of qualities of leadership. The way we went about it, not only in public, in terms of all the media and all that sort of stuff.”
Stokes said there was no sense from his players they had been distracted by the extra scrutiny following their controversial mid-series break in Noosa.
He said: “Behind the scenes, it was important that everyone’s focus was on the cricket.
“It would have been so easy to put our focus and attention on all that stuff outside the dressing room. At the end of the day, the most important thing is what we need to do out there.
“I thought the way we bowled this week was exceptional, the way we went about that run-chase was exceptional.”
Stokes said his side are now determined to end the series with another victory in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which starts on 3 January [23:30 GMT, 2 January].
“It is a very proud moment knowing how tough this tour has been and how everything has gone before this tour coming here,” Stokes added.
“So to get that win in over a long period of time we have been waiting for is pretty pleasing.
“We still have one more to go, and the focus has not moved away from that. We had two games, and we want to get two results go our way.”
