England’s ban on ruthlessness seems silly – Ben Stokes must take a leaf from Steve Waugh’s book and fight to the end
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It used to be that England cricket teams started badly, especially overseas. Now it seems they fade away instead – the swingeing defeat to New Zealand at Hamilton being the fourth time they have lost the final match of a series this year. Not that this one altered the overall result, which went England’s way 2-1. But two formidable opponents, India next summer followed by Australia in the antipodes during the winter, will have taken note of the team’s near total collapse in New Zealand, the third Test of that series and the 17th England have played in 2024.
![[New Zealand v England - 3rd Test: Day 2]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233270835_fbd8b2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
That averages out at a Test every 21.4 days, which sounds doable until you realise each series is bunched together back-to-back with little recovery time between each match. Tired bodies and tired minds are the bane of every sports team but to be frazzled by the third match, the third time it has occurred in 12 months, is worrying given the two big series coming up are the best of five.
![[New Zealand v England - 3rd Test: Day 3]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233418382_88beae.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It was Steve Waugh, captain of arguably the greatest Australia side in history, who pointed out the extra challenge for series winners was to also win the final Test when it’s a dead rubber – the accusation being that victorious teams always took their foot off the gas or had one eye on the flight home.
![[New Zealand v England - 3rd Test: Day 2]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233285846_9f49e5.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Waugh was a tough, steely eyed cricketer not given over to nostalgia. Indeed, he was so sick of Australia losing the final Test of Ashes series they had already won that in 2001, when captain, he played with a torn calf muscle at the Oval just to prove a point, making a match-winning 157 in the process.
