Marcus Trescothick on whether England let 'pretty broken' Ben Stokes down after dogged four-and-a-half hour batting shift in 40 degree Adelaide heat
Updated 18/12/2025 at 14:54 GMT
England batting coach Marcus Trescothick said that Ben Stokes is "pretty broken" and is struggling to eat properly after his dogged batting performance in Adelaide. England slumped to 71-4 after just 16.4 overs when Stokes came to the crease and the England captain dug in to see his side to 213-8 at stumps. England trail by 158, requiring Stokes to go again to have any chance of a comeback.
Stokes 'pretty broken' after marathon day in 40-degree heat
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England batting coach Marcus Trescothick said Ben Stokes is "pretty broken" and struggling to eat properly after his dogged batting performance in Adelaide.
The touring captain once again had to dig in and battle away with wickets tumbling around him, coming to the crease at 71-4 after just 16.4 overs in the third NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes Test.
A 50 partnership with vice-captain Harry Brook was abruptly ended when he was caught behind off Cameron Green, and there was more Snicko controversy surrounding the dismissal of Jamie Smith to contend with.
Will Jacks and Brydon Carse fell in quick succession to Scott Boland and suddenly England were staring down the barrel of a humiliating defeat at 168-8.
Stokes, who was struck in the helmet early on and then regularly struggled with cramp, battled away for four-and-a-half hours in the 40-degree heat and ended the day unbeaten.
Alongside Jofra Archer, who also dug in, England reached 213-8 at stumps on Day 2, still 158 runs behind, with Stokes on 45 off 151 balls and Archer on 30.
The England captain had also bowled 19 overs across the Australian innings and a combination of an economical bowling spell and heroic batting left him struggling physically.
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Trescothick told TNT Sports: "He is worn out as you can imagine, cramping often and just trying to get the fluids in.
"He was really struggling to get the carbohydrates in, he looked like he was going to be sick every time.
"He is pretty broken in there but the medical team will work on him tonight and get him back in the frame of mind for tomorrow."
In his press conference at the end of the day's play, Trescothick was asked if the team had let Stokes down with their below-par performances.
"I’m not sure letting him down is the right terminology to use, personally," he said.
"I think everybody's trying 100% and working as hard as they can do, and doing everything you need to be working.
"Success comes and goes, doesn't it? It's not a guarantee. It's not a given that you're going to succeed in every series you do.
"It's not like anybody's going to any game and not trying and working as hard as anybody else. It's just maybe you haven't had the success that they wanted to have at this stage."
England will need Stokes to dig in again if they are to have any chance of overturning the already ominous 2-0 series deficit, with significant runs required just to achieve parity with the hosts.
Trescothick, a key member of the 2005 winning Ashes side, was adamant that England can still turn the Test, and the series, around on the morning of Day 3.
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He told TNT Sports: "We are in a position that we don’t want to be in, obviously, eight down and still a number of runs behind, but we are still fighting and still in the game in terms of trying to make something happen tomorrow.
"We still have an opportunity to come out with 10 or 11 overs of the old ball to try and capitalise and do what we can.
"We understand it has not been easy and we have not quite been at our best for long enough in the games we have played.
"Obviously it has been a challenge, Australia have bowled well and put us under pressure.
"I think we all appreciated it [the pitch] looked good and it was going to be consistent for a number of days.
"Credit to them for how they have gone about it, they have really made it a challenge for us."
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England have struggled routinely in this Ashes series to put Australia under any sort of pressure with the bat.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett looked good for their 37-run opening stand but again, the wickets fell quickly on a surface that many feel is very suited to batting.
Only Joe Root has reached three figures for England in the series, while only Crawley, Stokes and Brook have managed a solitary half-century each.
Australia, meanwhile, have been inspired by big 100s from Travis Head in Perth, and by Alex Carey in Adelaide, while five players hit scores over 60 on their way to an insurmountable 511 at the Gabba.
Trescothick insisted individual players have their plans to get back on track for England, but again praised the Australian bowling attack.
He said: "Individually players have their plans and their methods.
"I would have loved for us to bat and get more hundreds, as anybody does in any batting team.
"You want consistency of runs and big scores really make a big difference in any series.
"The first couple of wickets were a bit more challenging than what this is and Australia have made it tough for us today."
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