Daily Express - 30.07.2019

CRICKET: ASHES COUNTDOWN Daily Express Tuesday, July 30, 2019^63

DX1ST

time to develop those relationships but they
are worth their weight in gold. They were the
guys who came to St George’s Park for our
pre-Ashes camp full of energy and
enthusiasm for this part of the summer, as
you would expect, and it was infectious.
I needed a break after the World Cup and
I’m glad I was able to get one to spend time
with the family and go and visit some old
friends who I hadn’t seen for a long time –
like my mates back at Cockermouth CC.
That is where it all started for me, so it was
brilliant to be able to go back there with my
World Cup winners’ medal and let the kids
touch it and take photos with it.
I had batted so much during the
tournament that I’d not picked up a bat since
the World Cup final until preparing for this
Test, but I have been keeping my bowling
workloads up in training to make sure that
I’ve got the overs in my legs to be able to
bowl lengthy spells if needed.
It is going to be another heck of a ride.

that maybe the next time I

watch it the final pick up and

throw from J-Roy won’t be

clean and maybe Jos will

fumble the ball.

It has been such a fantastic

couple of weeks with people

congratulating me wherever

I go. I went on Good Morning

Britain and that was more

nerve-wracking than the actual

super over.

I didn’t think I would be

sat next to Brian Blessed as

he recited poetry to the

nation, but then you don’t win

a World Cup every day.

who go through that four-year

cycle and then have a bit of a

comedown when it is all over.

Having the Ashes to look

forward to has helped over

the last week, as I’ve started

getting my head into the right

frame of mind.

Another way of dealing with

it has been to watch the

extended highlights of the

game with my wife Clare a

couple of times, and see what

unfolded from a different

aspect to being out there.

Even though I know what

happens I’m still full of nerves

IT WASN’T until a few days

after the World Cup final that

it hit me what we had achieved

and just what an unbelievable

high it was.

I was sat in a golf buggy with

Tom Curran just driving to the

10th tee and I realised that the

most amazing day of my career

was over and I wouldn’t get to

experience it again.

And a huge wave of sadness

came over me. I didn’t expect

that feeling at all, but it was a

sad moment and I had to find a

way to get over it. I think it

is a bit like the Olympic athletes

My sadness after amazing high

MOBBED:

Stokes after

lifting World

Cup, left

The stage I’m at, I feel

like I can get the best out

of myself and others even

if they have as many caps

as Broady and Jimmy do

GOOD FRIENDS:

Stokes and

Root celebrate

after clinching

the Ashes

series at the

Oval in 2015

THE BIG

HITTERS:

Buttler,

left, and

Stokes

OLD PROS:

England

will rely

on Broad,

right, and

Anderson,

below

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