"He said, ‘we can absorb as well'" - Ben Foakes shares conversation with Ben Stokes on Day two at Old Trafford
England keeper-batter Ben Foakes revealed that Ben Stokes was open to wearing down the South African bowlers on Day two of the second Test in Manchester on August 26. However, the right-handed batter said that the skipper wanted them to stay busy at the crease.
Foakes and Stokes put England in command at the end of the day's play, striking centuries. Their partnership of 173 meant that the hosts finished with a lead of 264 at the time of the declaration.
Two brilliant centuries to help us to a strong first innings total 🙌
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The Essex keeper-batter stated that Stokes was clear about absorbing pressure in the difficult phase and wanted to score without being reckless. He said, as quoted by BT Sport:
"Ben was quite clear. He said ‘we can absorb as well, this is a difficult phase. He said ‘let’s make it up and score where we can, let’s be busy, but don’t do anything stupid’. That’s what we went with. Attacking cricket is obviously what people expect, but once the ball got old, it was actually pretty difficult to score."
He continued:
"Because that’s not my natural game, it’s just trying to work out how to play best. Sometimes I haven’t got the balance right because I guess I’m not an explosive batter."
While the ton was Stokes' 12th and his first as captain, Foakes' century was only his second. The gloveman made a hundred on his Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2018.
"Since my first game I’ve found hundreds aren’t easy to come by" - Ben Foakes
The Essex player admitted to being overjoyed given the long gap between his first and second Test ton. He said:
"I'm overjoyed really. Since my first game I’ve found hundreds aren’t easy to come by in Test cricket so this one for me is very, very special. Since my debut a lot’s gone on. There’s been hard, difficult phases, injuries and obviously a lot of time on the sidelines."
A first century at home for Ben Foakes! 💯
Scorecard/clips: ms.spr.ly/6011jdoit
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Day two ended with South African openers Sarel Erwee and Dean Elgar at the crease, having taken their team to 23 runs in nine overs. The Proteas will have a mighty task at hand when they come out to bat the next morning.