Stokes hopeful of something to drink to in defining year

England start Test cycle against Zimbabwe today, before hosting India and then trying to regain Ashes

- Ali Martin

So where are we up to right now? Still Bazball 2.0? The start of Bazball 3.0? Given Ben Stokes has knocked the grog on the head this year, perhaps it should be Bazball 0.0% ABV.

Although, jokes aside, that recent revelation on one of those man-chat podcasts said a fair bit about Stokes's nature. Not only has he temporarily paused drinking during his recovery from hamstring surgery but, so taken by this, he has even bought shares in an alcohol-free spirits company. England's Test captain is someone who, when he sets his mind on something, sees it through to the extreme. Even abstinence.

What then of the team that has lived and breathed the Stokes fumes these past three years? After something of a white-knuckle ride, and a few external grumbles about their chiefly gung-ho approach, 2025 pretty much represents the moment of truth: five Tests at home to India and then five away in Australia, with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe that starts in Nottingham today serving as the launchpad.

Does this risk over-egging it? After all, Brendon McCullum extended his contract as head coach last summer, expanding it to include the white-ball sides and the 50-over World Cup in 2027. The next edition of the World Test Championship will not even be halfway done by the end of the Ashes and there is a T20 World Cup early next year for Harry Brook, the new limited-overs skipper, to sink his teeth into. In theory, Rob Key's Baz-project is intended to go far longer.