England all-rounder Ben Stokes is out to assert more dominance over Asutralia at Lord’s on Thursday, after billing the Cardiff victory as ‘revenge’ following the 5-0 Ashes whitewash on Australian shores last time out.
The 24-year-old was instrumental in the first Investec Ashes Test victory, scoring 94 runs and backing up the efforts of James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the ball.
However, Stokes knows there is a long way in the series to go to regain the urn and wants to keep up the momentum with the hosts going in to the second Test.
"When Rooty caught the catch at the end it was like revenge," Stokes said. "When they were eight wickets down I was thinking about how we felt when we were getting beaten every game.
"After what they did to us in Australia it was pretty cool.
"We know we’ve got to deliver and keep the pressure on. It’s what Jimmy (Anderson) and Broady (Stuart Broad) do all the time.
"Me and Woody (Mark Wood) have got a lot of responsibility and we thrive off that.
"That’s how the best teams in the world do it. If one guy is not particularly doing well, the other is generally holding an end up or taking wickets.
"That’s how it’s been since the summer started against New Zealand.
"Everyone has come in, put their hand up and done really well. If we go 2-0 up here, we will be in a really good position to win the Ashes."
With Stokes earmarked as a key man, Australia tried everything to put him off his game, including getting in the way of his ritual bat sweep at the end of every over.
“That was pretty silly, I thought," Stokes said. "Rooty (Joe Root) said that if they’re trying to do that, they must be thinking we’re on top. So if they’re going to do that for the rest of the series then fair enough.
"Haddin picked up on my habit when we were in Australia last time. He said: 'You’re still doing that, then?' I said 'Yeah'.
"Then Lyon and Warner thought it would be funny to stand in my way.
"I just said: 'You can stand there all day because I’m not moving until you move. If you want to get your captain’s over-rate down then so be it.'
"I guess they wanted me to react, but it just didn’t work."
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