Ben Stokes demands major change from England in must-win Ashes Test

England trail 2-0 in the five-match series and captain Stokes has urged his side to show ‘a bit of dog’ in the third Ashes Test

Ben Stokes has challenged his England team to bare their teeth and prove they have “a bit of dog” in them as their Ashes campaign reaches must-win territory in Adelaide.

The tourists have made just one change to their playing XI for the third Test, Josh Tongue recalled in place of fellow seamer Gus Atkinson, but Stokes has made it plain he wants to see a different side to his players.

In the aftermath of their eight-wicket defeat in Brisbane, captain Stokes pointedly stated that his dressing room was “no place for weak men”.

After a mid-series beach break in Noosa he has left the group in no doubt about what that meant, revealing the message had been drilled home one-on-one and as a wider squad – a rarity in a regime that has all but abandoned the formal team meeting.

Asked if those discussions had been “raw”, Stokes said: “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.

“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. Yeah, 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.”

Ben Stokes cited a highly-charged game against India as the template for his side (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Stokes highlighted this summer’s Lord’s win over India, an ill-tempered game that saw various flashpoints and a time-wasting row between the teams, as a prime example of England showing their willingness to scrap for a result. At the time, Harry Brook suggested it was proof they were willing to stop being “too nice”.

“That’s been brought up. That India game was spoken about for the rest of this series,” he said.

“You’ve seen the way the 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. The attitude and the mentality towards that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game.”

While England have resisted the temptation to make drastic changes to a faltering team – Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse avoiding the chop after poor performances at the Gabba – Atkinson’s record of three wickets at 78.66 means he has made way for Tongue.

Profile of Josh Tongue (PA Graphics)

The Nottinghamshire quick was England’s top wicket-taker in the India series with 19 and took five in his only previous Ashes appearance in 2023, including Steve Smith in each innings.

More telling was the decision not to select Shoaib Bashir. The 22-year-old has been picked as a work in progress for the past 18 months, with a view to having a major impact on this series.

Now, after leaving him out on pacy pitches in Perth and Brisbane, England have retained batting all-rounder Will Jacks as the designated spinner on a pitch renowned as the best in the country for slow bowlers.

Bashir leaked runs at more than a run a ball in the internal warm-up match at the start of the tour, went wicketless for England Lions against Australia A last week and has failed to find rhythm in the nets.

Shoaib Bashir has yet to find his rhythm on England’s Ashes tour (Robbie Stephenson/PA)

“It’s going to be disappointing for Bash. We just feel having Jacksy down at number eight strengthens our batting a little bit,” said Stokes.

“We’ve had to make some big decisions and big calls over recent times to get the team that we felt was going to give us the best chance and that’s what we’ve gone with. We’re 2-0 down and we’re trying to give ourselves the best chance with bat and ball.”