Ben Stokes Wants Ashes Victory as England Captain

Here’s a breakdown of the key facts from the provided text:

Key Players & Squad:

* Captain: Ben Stokes is determined to win the Ashes in Australia.
* ‍ Key Batsmen: Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett are mentioned as opening batters. Joe Root, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are also key players.
* Bowling: Mark ‍Wood is available for selection after a hamstring issue. Shoaib Bashir is in the 12-man squad. England is⁢ considering an all-pace attack.
* Coaching: Brendon McCullum is the head coach.

Context & Goals:

* Stokes wants to be only the second captain since Ray Illingworth to reclaim the Ashes from Australia.
* he aims to be one of the few England captains to win a series in Australia.
* ⁢ This is Stokes’ fourth attempt at a five-match Ashes series; his previous attempt ended in a 2-2 draw.
* Stokes is trying to shield his players from external pressure.

Atmosphere & Preparation:

* Stokes acknowledges the immense importance of the series and the energy surrounding it.
* Previous Ashes tourists (Stokes,Wood,Root,Crawley,Pope) are sharing their experiences with the rest of ⁤the team.
* Stokes believes it’s critically important ⁢to acknowledge the scale of the challenge while still allowing players to feel the excitement.

Quotes:

* ⁢ Ben Stokes: “I’ve come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as ⁤one ⁢of the lucky few captains from England who have come here and been triumphant.”
* Ben Stokes: “I can’t say we are going to be immortal as we all die, don’t we?” (in response to a question about “immortality” through winning).