"I let people down" - Ben Stokes promises to rebound from disappointing Ashes display

GEORGE DOBELL IN ANTIGUA: England's premier allrounder accepts he was undercooked heading to Australia but feels he has reset sufficiently in time to face West Indies

Ben Stokes believes he let England down in Australia but has promised to use the pain of the defeat to inspire him to better performances in the future.

Stokes came into the Ashes having played very little cricket in the previous six months after taking a break from the game to work on his physical and mental health.

Partially as a result, he was unable to produce the match-defining performances of which he has become expected and finished the series with a batting average of 23.60 and a bowling average of 71.50, as England slipped to a 4-0 defeat.

Now he has accepted he went into the series in suboptimal physical condition but feels time reflecting on the “hurt” of the episode has helped him understand how important Test cricket is to him and helped him prioritise it in the future. 

“Looking back on Australia we’ve had some honest reflections not only as a team but individuals as well,” Stokes said in Antigua as England prepare for their Test series against West Indies.

“One of my reflections on the tour as a whole was that I personally felt I let the team down with more than just performances.

“I would have liked to have been in better physical shape when I was in Australia. When I look back on it I felt I let myself down. But the thing that really grinds me the most and hurts me the most is that I let a lot of other people down.

^{Stokes, who has given his full backing to Joe Root, accepts he was short of his best in Australia (William West/AFP/Getty Images)}

“I just wasn’t me. I wasn’t able to impact the game as I would like to or how I normally do and everything just seemed harder. It’s just that I could have been better. Obviously, I had a long break which never helps. I couldn’t do much in those three or four months so I was always behind.

“From a cricket place I was ready to go out there. There was no pressure put on me whatsoever from anybody. It was an individual decision and I don’t think I came back too early. If it was to say that it would be excuses. 

“I never want to feel that way again because it’s hard when you sit down to reflect on the things that didn’t go well in Australia.”

One of the ways Stokes hopes to revive his fortunes is by expecting he cannot play every game. And with his priority being Test cricket, he made the decision to forgo the financial opportunities offered by the IPL, for this year at least, to ensure he starts the England international season feeling fit and fresh.

“I don't want to put all the hard work I've put in and ruin it by being a bit silly and putting too much into it."

“I had a chance to have a good look at things going forward and when it came down to it the real thing that got me excited out of all three formats was Test cricket,” Stokes said.

“That was a big decision to come out of the IPL, to make sure that I was able to give everything I possibly could to this Test team going forward.

"There’s a massive summer ahead, a lot of cricket to play and you just have to look at the schedules at times and think what’s the most important thing. And Test cricket is the most important for me.”

Though Stokes looks back to something close to top physical condition in the Caribbean, a full role as a genuine allrounder in the first Test starting on Tuesday (March 8) appears unlikely.

He claimed two wickets in the warm-up match against President's XI but is still recovering from the side strain he sustained in Australia and is not expecting to play much of a role with the ball in Antigua.

^{It remains to be seen how much of a role Stokes has in the first Test (Getty Images)}

“I don't think I'll be able to play my full role as I'd normally do but it would be nice to get some overs out in the first Test," he explained.

"This is my first side injury but I know a lot of bowlers who've had them and they've all said the same thing: if you think you're good, always give it another week and a half.

“I don't want to put all the hard work I've put in and ruin it by being a bit silly and putting too much into it. These side injuries are a pain in the arse rather than a pain in the side.”

Whether he can bowl or not, though, he has underlined his steadfast support for the captaincy of Joe Root and scotched any suggestion he was interested in taking the job.

“Joe has mine and the changing room's complete support,” he said. “The captain doesn't make all the decisions, the captain doesn't bowl every ball, the captain doesn't play every ball.

"There are 10 other guys out there with the responsibility. Joe is 100% the man to lead this team forward and I'll be right behind him every step of the way.”