England captain Ben Stokes at a training session on the eve of the first Test against India at Leeds.
| Photo Credit: AP
Headingley is one of England’s storied venues, with the Ian Botham Test from the 1981 Ashes, India’s unforgettable win in 2002 and Ben Stokes’ stupendous effort from 2019 coming immediately to mind. On Thursday, ahead of the first Test versus India, England skipper Stokes hoped for another blockbuster contest.
“Headingley is generally the best overall cricket wicket that we tend to play on,” Stokes said. “We’ve had some fantastic games here. Once batters get in, they are very hard to stop because of how true the wicket can be and how fast the outfield is. But you always feel like there’s something for a bowler.
“I know there’s scheduled 30 degree heat but this is North [England]. It could turn up and it’d be six degrees [down] again and it could be raining. [We’ll] just wait and see what the lovely northern weather’s like for us this week.”
One of Stokes’ important allies in trying to make it memorable for England will be pacer Chris Woakes, a bowling all-rounder with 181 wickets and a century against India at Lord’s.
“I think this is correct, but since me and Baz [Brendon McCullum] have been captain and coach, I don’t think we’ve actually lost a game with Woakes in the team. That just proves how much of a valuable cricketer he is.
“Him being the leader of the attack… he’s going to thrive off that responsibility. The relentlessness that he has, whether with the new ball or old ball, and then having the ability to bat at No. 8. That’s a plus.”
Published – June 19, 2025 10:17 pm IST