‘We weren’t able to match the challenges in the last two games’ - Ben Stokes dissects series loss to Pakistan

After winning the first Test by an innings and 47 runs, England suffered back-to-back defeats, losing the series against Pakistan 2-1. The hosts relied heavily on the spin department and the changes they made after the defeat in the first game worked brilliantly in their favour as the Shan Masood-led side registered their first Test series win against the Three Lions since 2015.

England captain Ben Stokes was extremely disappointed following the series loss, especially as they defeated them 3-0 in 2022. The all-rounder highlighted that the visitors couldn’t match the challenge in the last two games of the series and expects the players to learn from the defeats and prepare better for such challenges in the future.

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“Disappointing, losing games and losing series’. We weren’t able to match the challenges in the last two games, credit to Pakistan. Moving forward, we’ll look to match those challenges as we come up against them,” Stokes said in the post-match presentation.

Regardless of the result, there have been some unbelievable individual performances: Stokes

England’s spin department has done well in the series, particularly youngsters Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed. Bashir picked up nine wickets in three games while Rehan played only the final Test in Rawalpindi and picked up four. Among batters, Harry Brook had a stunning first Test in Multan while Joe Root and Ben Duckett had a decent series. 

Overall, Stokes was happy with the individual performances in Pakistan. He also pointed out how special it was for Bashir and Rehan to play in front of their family and added that they have a bright future awaiting.

“Whether you do well or not, you always try and take the positives out. Regardless of the result, there have been some unbelievable individual performances so certainly a lot to take out. You take that aspect and that look on it, Rehan and Bashir coming here to play cricket in front of family, it's something massive for them. They’re two incredible cricketers who’re just starting their career so it's massive for them,” Stokes said.