Ben Stokes asserts that England will attack aggressively against India in their T20 World Cup semi-final and that no one will retreat in what is expected to be a high-scoring, full-throttle contest.
Even though Adelaide is positioned in the middle of this tournament’s scoring rate rankings, two aggressive teams will want to exploit its small square boundaries and abundance of scoring opportunities. Stokes indicated that while teams are more inclined to be cautious in the group stages, England will be everything but when a spot in the final is at stake.
“We had a few ups and downs in the group stage, but those are already in the past. We know that if we execute even close to where we want to be, we will be a formidable opponent,” he said. “We are now in a situation where it’s done or die. I do not believe anyone will take a step backward. We talk a lot about how we want to play under pressure, and what we’ll see tonight is us attempting to deliver on what we’ve said, rather than taking the safe route.
Stokes was a member of the England side that defeated India en route to winning the 2019 50-over World Cup, a game they could not afford to lose in the group stage, and he believes they will need to bring a similar level of intensity to this match. “It was how we played the game,” he explained.
“Rather than focusing on the outcome, consider the mindset and mentality. We did not take a step backward, so I believe we can go with confidence, knowing that if we maintain a similar approach, we should be successful.”
On Tuesday, England practiced at the Adelaide Oval, getting their first look at a ground that hosted two matches on Friday. Dawid Malan, who continues to recover from the groin strain he sustained against Sri Lanka on Saturday, missed the session but has not yet been officially ruled out of Thursday’s match.
However, Stokes urged Malan’s likely replacement, Phil Salt, to “grab that opportunity with both hands and not let [the pressure] get to him.” Mark Wood also sat out due to stiffness, but this is not considered a severe concern. India got a fright when their captain, Rohit Sharma, received a blow to the arm in the practice nets, but he did not appear to be gravely injured.
Stokes disclosed that the England team’s security consultant, Reg Dickason, had visited Pakistan to assess its safety before the Test side’s upcoming tour of the country and that the situation was under constant review in light of last week’s attempted assassination of former president Imran Khan.
What transpired last week was shocking to witness, as he stated. “However, Reg has been outside. He is the most qualified to evaluate the situation. Reg is a man you can trust with your life, therefore whatever information he brings back regarding the players and people going on the tour, you should have complete faith in it.
