- Comes after two heavy losses to put England’s tour on life support
One of Ben Stokes‘ oldest friends and fellow England international Steve Harmison has grave fears for the welfare of the England captain after the battering the team has copped in the opening two Ashes tests in Australia.
Stokes and the English squad have travelled to beachside tourism hotspot Noosa in south-east Queensland to lick their wounds after being belted in Brisbane, which came after a humiliating two-day defeat in Perth in the opening Test.
The English skipper has the weight of the world on his shoulders, after fighting his way to 50 in a bid to rescue the Gabba Test as he could only watch wickets tumble around him.
Harmison – who infamously bowled the wide delivery to third slip in the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane in 2006 – has known Stokes since they played together as juniors at Durham and said he was growing worried for his welfare.
Stokes has been stoic in the face of criticism from the media, England cricket fans and former greats, including the likes of Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott.
In his News Corp column, Harmison wrote that he was afraid the pressure was beginning to get to his old friend.
Ben Stokes has had a torrid time in Australia this Ashes tour as captain of a side that has been well beaten in the opening two Tests
Former England international Steve Harmison is good friends with Stokes and is worried about his welfare
‘No matter what fate awaits England beyond this hugely challenging Ashes tour Ben Stokes must remain Test captain – but I am very worried about him. Or, should I say, for him,’ he wrote.
Harmison’s fears are not unfounded. He was part of the 2005 Ashes squad that humbled Australia in England, only to be belted 5-0 in Australia in the 2006/07 series.
That was the beginning of the end for Andrew ‘Freddy’ Flintoff, who struggled with severe depression, alcoholism and chronic injuries that led to his eventual Test retirement in 2009 and all cricket in 2010
‘My big worry is that he tries to do what Andrew Flintoff tried to do on the rugged 2006-07 of Australia when he thought ‘right, if you lot are not in it with me I will go and do it by myself,’ Harmison wrote.
‘The strain of doing that put paid to Freddy’s body. I don’t want to see that happen to Stokes.’
Harmison was also concerned by some of the language used by Stokes in the post-match media conference following the Brisbane disaster, where he said touring Australia was no place for ‘weak men’.
‘Stokes is one of the nicest human beings I have ever met in cricket.
‘For his sake, I hope we never see a repeat of his press conference after the Gabba Test where he said there was no place for weak men in his dressing room.’
Harmison saw his former teammate Andrew Flintoff break down after the horror 2005 Ashes tour of Australia
Harmison does not want to see Stokes try and take the entire load on himself during The Ashes
‘His ‘weak men’ admission was the first time in three and a half years I have heard Stokes say something against his team, and the first time Stokes and coach Brendan McCullum have not been aligned in their post-match messaging.
‘I wonder – and I’m only speculating here – whether it was the first time in three and a half years Ben has gone into the dressing room and torn paint strips off the wall by being brutally forthright to some individuals and the team as a collective.
‘I do not want to see an England team which has Stokes in it but not as captain.
‘But it worries me that he is thinking, ‘I am getting let down by certain individuals I have gone to war with … possibly they are not in the battle with me.’
Former England pace bowler Jimmy Anderson, who was also part of the doomed 2006/07 tour, said the other bowlers in the squad needed to lift to help Stokes after Australia piled on 511 runs in the first innings in Brisbane.
‘Stokesy can’t do everything, but his bowlers in this squad aren’t the kind of personalities who can help him out,’ he said.
‘I did smile at the exchange between Steve Smith and Jofra right near the end of the game when Australia were closing in on victory.
‘If Jofra had bowled like that in the first innings, then he brings everyone else with him. He brings the fielding group with him. He brings more energy to everyone.
‘You beat the bat, you rush a batter with pace and then the fielding group is going to lift and be noisier and the batter will feel under more pressure because it’s coming from all angles. That never happened.
‘I loved the fact that Jofra was going hard at Smith, but don’t do it when they need 20 to win.
‘Do it when we need to get a foothold in the game. Do it when we’ve got an under-par score in the first innings. Get right in their face and bowl as fast as you can.’