3 November - Ahmedabad - England player Ben Stokes pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
Obviously, the results haven't been what you wanted but playing Australia, is that something that almost exists in its own bubble and provides its own goal and its own motivation?
[Ben Stokes:]
Yeah, I think, England and Australia is in any sport whenever the two nations come together and play against each other it's always a big occasion. Sort of regardless of if that's in a World Cup or bilateral series or whatever it may be - you're right in saying that.
We've had a disastrous World Cup and there's no point sugarcoating that because it's the truth. But we know these last three games, for us, we've got a lot to play for. I think the biggest thing that we've got to play for is obviously the pride of what it is to put the three lines on your chest, walking out onto the field every time is a very special occasion and something that we value very highly. So, yeah, I know there'll be a lot of noise around England, Australia in the next game, but regardless of who we play against the feeling of putting that shirt on is something that we take very seriously.
[Reporter:]
And the people watching back home obviously it's three months since the Ashes finished and the rivalry the tensions and stuff on the field, create great interest in the game in cricket and got a lot of people invested. So, it's just another chance to sort of entertain back home and keep those people involved.
[Ben Stokes:]
Yeah, I guess so. I hope people from Australia watch and I hope people from England watch.
[Reporter:]
On a personal level for you as well, you came out of retirement and the job then was to get to the final stages, get into those big moments. Obviously, as you said, it's been disastrous. You're not able to do that, but do you still feel that there's something for you personally to do and play for when you can't get to those end stages?
[Ben Stokes:]
Yeah, it just goes back to what I said there. Never take every game you play for your country for granted. That's enough for me.
[Reporter:]
Mohammad Shami is obviously bowling beautifully at the moment; can you talk us through what it was like to face him and what sort of challenges he offers at the moment?
[Ben Stokes:]
I've played a lot of cricket against Shami, he's a fantastic bowler and I think we watched him last night and they brought a stat up in a World Cup is quite phenomenal actually. He's been obviously the bowler of the World Cup, I think. I don't think he's played every game but the way in which he's, in every situation and every game he's come in it's been incredible the amount of wickets he's taken. He's just found a way to be able to get wicket[s]. Obviously that spell against us was one of many he's had this World Cup. Sometimes you just say to the opposition that you're very good and Mohamed Shami's been very good throughout this whole World Cup.
[Reporter:]
Can I just ask about your bowling, you've been an all-rounder your whole cricketing life, haven't you? How has it been, just being in the field? Is it very frustrating? And how long until we might see you bowling again?
[Ben Stokes:]
Not bowling makes it seem a lot longer than what it normally is. But it's been, obviously over the last 18 months, it's been will I, won't I, whereas actually this World Cup it's not had to sort of worry about that and be able to just focus on going out there and trying to contribute to team with runs which is obviously something I've not been able to do, but yeah, it's probably the first time since I've had this knee issue where it's been quite clear that I'm not going to be bowling.
So, from that sense, it's probably actually been not relief, but just not having to worry about, waking up and going, yeah - feel like I can bowl today. Or nah, not today. If that makes sense.
[Reporter:]
In this World Cup campaign as England have sort of lost games, a lot of the players, coach, have come out and not been able to put their finger on what actually has gone wrong so quickly. And everything's sort of been the same, feeling in the group is good, all that sort of thing. Is there anything that you have been able to recognize? And if not, is the fact that no one's been able to work out what's gone wrong, is that part of actually the problem?
[Ben Stokes:]
No, I think the problem is that we've been crap. To be honest with you, we've been crap. Everything we've tried throughout this World Cup, through trying to put pressure back onto the opposition in a way in which we know, or trying to soak up the pressure in a different way, which we know we've done before and been successful with, it's just not worked.
Every opportunity that we've had in front of us where we feel like we can take control of the game, the opposition's managed to get it back towards them. And we've just not been able to put a full game together, or even got close to putting a full game together except against Bangladesh. If you dive too much into it around cricket, you find you come out with more questions than answers.
We know that as individuals and as a team, I think that's where it is as a team, we've been nowhere near good enough to be able to compete in a World Cup, which has been incredibly disappointing because we know we're so, so much better than what we've shown out here. And not having an answer and being able to understand as to why it's gone wrong is very simple. That's the answer. Because if we knew what had gone wrong, we would have been able to fix it. But unfortunately, we don't. It's just been one of those tournaments where, yeah, it's just been a disaster. And there's no point sugarcoating it because it's probably what you're all going to write anyway, and it's true.
[Reporter:]
You say if you knew what was wrong, you'd fix it. You've been in situations, whether as captain or at the T20 World Cup last year in Australia where you sort of came out and gave a bit of inspiration yourself whether it be in a talk or on the field, is there anything that you do before a game like this?
[Ben Stokes:]
I think through experience it's something that I've always - well especially over the last five six seven years is I've always been able to stay quite level through success and through failure. I'm only as good as my next game, which is an easy way to park success and park failure, and then just concentrate on the next game ahead of us.
You can't live on a reputation of things that's gone on in the past, because you're always judged on by what you do on any given day. But, yeah, can't really explain or say as to why things have gone so wrong for us as a team.
[Reporter:]
Now that you've played most of the teams in India, sort of playing for pride, who would be your World Cup winners, if I would ask you to predict which is the team, I mean, would it be India, or would it be South Africa, who's also making big totals, big scores.
[Ben Stokes:]
South Africa looking good? Probably not the answer you wanted.
[Reporter:]
You spoke about the obvious chatter that comes with Australia-England contest, but personally do you have a way of like dealing with it? Do you get amused by it? Do you like hearing everything that people are saying? Or do you just dismiss it and say, doesn't matter to me?
[Ben Stokes:]
Yeah, playing for as long as I've played, you know what comes with it. There's always a bit more chatter when England play Australia and whatever it is. So yeah, you just see it and I understand why. It's a bit like when India and Pakistan come and play each other. There's always going to be that rivalry.
[Reporter:]
If you have to pick a single funny or happy moment on this tour, which you've said has been a crap, but anything funny, anything happy that you would take away, that sticks in your mind?
[Ben Stokes:]
Sorry, I wasn't prepared for that question. Ask me again tomorrow and I'll have some of that.
[Reporter:]
You've been a part of two global teams that have won global titles, 2019 and then last year. Compared to those two teams and one here, is there anything that's changed in the dressing room or on the field? I mean, obviously performance is the one big thing and results, but anything apart from that that's changed?
[Ben Stokes:]
Performances and results.
[Reporter:]
I think we all know England are really struggling to go through, not mathematically out yet, if that was to come tomorrow against Australia and they were the ones to knock you out, mathematically speaking does that make it worse than anywhere that it's your big rivals?
[Ben Stokes:]
No, I thought about it though. No, I don’t think who you lose the World Cup, you're out, you're out. I don’t think it matters.
[Reporter:]
We saw you using an inhaler on the ground. In Bangalore, Is the air too bad? Are you guys struggling, you and the England players, with that?
[Ben Stokes:]
I've actually got exercise and juice asthma, so sometimes going from - I get it when it's cold, but obviously it doesn't happen here that often. But sometimes it happens when you go to a new city in India where the air is slightly different. So yeah, that could be a reason for it. Bangalore when we actually turned up just felt a lot fresher, but doing the running that I was doing does bring it on a lot easier than normal. So, that could be a reason for it.
[Reporter:]
I was going to ask you about the inhaler as well. Is that condition something that's new? Have you had it a number of years?
[Ben Stokes:]
I've had it for ages, yeah.
[Reporter:]
Any other players been using inhalers over here?
[Ben Stokes:]
Not that I know of.
[Reporter:]
Just checking on the knee, is coming to the World Cup delayed having an operation or any further treatment? And are you going to be okay for the Test Series in February?
[Ben Stokes:]
Yeah, I'll be fine for the Test Series in India. But yeah, I am having surgery after the World Cup.
[Reporter:]
And have you been told what you're having done and how long you'll be?
[Ben Stokes:]
Well, so we go to those meetings and generally take a physio and a doctor with me and then those two-start talking and then I just turn up and get put to sleep, wake up and hopefully it's better.