Ben Stokes: England Test captain discusses the future of cricket with Lord Botham

Ben Stokes and Ian Botham are 2 of England's top ever cricketers

They are 2 titans of English cricket - Ian Botham and Ben Stokes.

Lord Botham had a similar, all-action outlook to the crippled during his England vocation and is wide seen arsenic 1 of the champion all-rounders to ever play the sport.

As portion of his quality arsenic impermanent exertion connected BBC Radio 4's Today programme connected Monday, Lord Botham spoke to Stokes astir his ngo to alteration Test cricket, the emergence of the white-ball game, their heroic performances astatine Headingley and the value of prioritising your intelligence health.

Transforming Test cricket

England person won Test matches against New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge

When Stokes succeeded Joe Root arsenic Test skipper successful April, England had won conscionable 1 of their past 17 Tests, including a 4-0 drubbing successful Australia and decision successful the West Indies. The pursuing period erstwhile New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum was appointed England coach. Together they person attempted to alteration however Test cricket is played, creating an ambiance that allows players to explicit themselves and supply amusement that volition support fans coming.

Stokes: "Test cricket has been spoken astir successful a mode I don't like. It is losing the attraction of the fans with each the caller formats and franchise competitions. We recognize determination are truthful galore opportunities for players distant from Test cricket. But for maine it is truthful important for the game. I emotion playing Test cricket and felt we could bash thing different.

"Taking the effect distant from the mindset is simply a large starting point. Putting absorption connected making each time entertaining. Not allowing radical to cognize what is going to happen. If radical crook up excited astir what they are going to ticker you've already won earlier a shot has been bowled."

Botham: "It's astir putting bums connected seats. People present privation to ticker the game. You volition suffer the unusual crippled but radical are wanting to spot Test cricket again. If we suffer Test cricket, we suffer cricket arsenic we cognize it."

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The emergence of white-ball cricket

England bushed Pakistan to assistance the T20 World Cup for the 2nd clip astatine the Melbourne Cricket Ground successful November

Test cricket has been threatened by the emergence successful popularity of shorter formats of the game, astir notably T20s, which connection players the accidental to gain bigger sums playing successful franchise leagues crossed the globe. The docket has go much congested, with immoderate players forced to take which formats to play. Stokes himself retired from one-day planetary cricket successful July, saying playing 3 formats was "unsustainable". He went connected to assistance England triumph the T20 World Cup successful November.

Stokes: "The scheduling doesn't get capable attraction that it should. A large illustration is England's one-day bid against Australia aft the T20 World Cup. That was shoving 3 games successful there. It made consciousness to idiosyncratic to docket a bid which meant nothing.

"Some radical accidental 'you are playing for England, that should beryllium enough'. But determination is simply a batch much to origin in. You privation planetary cricket to beryllium the highest standard. But we person seen a batch of antithetic squads being picked and players being rested, and that's not the mode planetary cricket should go."

Botham: "Test lucifer cricket is called that for a precise bully reason, due to the fact that it tests each the faculties of a player. The accent is excessively overmuch towards achromatic ball. In England we presently person a fewer first-class games successful aboriginal April and it disappears until extremity of season. It should beryllium balanced better. You person to marque country for it all.

"The thought of franchises is simply a solid, bully idea. I conscionable anticipation we tin support a balance. And if franchises tin support that equilibrium past let's person a look astatine it."

Headingley heroics

Ben Stokes and Ian Botham some enactment successful celebrated Ashes Test match-winning performances astatine Headingley 38 years apart

Stokes has grown utilized to comparisons with Botham, peculiarly aft his astonishing 135 not retired guided England from the brink of decision to a sensational triumph against Australia astatine Headingley successful the 2019 Ashes, 38 years aft akin heroics by Botham led England to triumph against the aforesaid opponents astatine the aforesaid ground.

Botham: "I've got tons of large memories of Headingley. But I besides had Bob Willis, who took 8-43. I was determination astatine Headingley successful 2019 and I thought 'this is fun, this is however it should beryllium played'. I loved watching the Aussies, their shoulders dropped, it takes a batch to bash that. Stokes is container office. He empties bars."

Stokes: "Moments similar that successful athletics should ever beryllium cherished. The occurrence of Headingley 1981, everyone who knows cricket knows astir that. So for my infinitesimal to beryllium compared is beauteous cool.

"Andrew Flintoff was the all-rounder for maine increasing up. Flintoff would person been compared to Botham and I got compared to Flintoff. The subordinate I admired was South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs, helium was up of his clip and you look astatine Botham, helium was up of his clip arsenic well. The mode they determination the crippled on. I emotion watching players who were different."

Mental health

Stokes took a five-month interruption from cricket successful 2021 to prioritise his intelligence wellbeing aft a hard fewer years that included the decease of his father, Ged, successful 2020. Stokes hopes his acquisition volition promote others to speech astir intelligence wellness and assistance alteration the communicative astir intelligence wellness breaks, thing helium discussed successful a documentary astir his vocation that was released earlier this year.

Stokes: "It is perceived that men shouldn't beryllium seen to amusement weakness, but I person ne'er had an contented with expressing my feelings and opening up astir It. I can't archer you however overmuch pridefulness I had successful myself for doing that aft the messages I got from radical I had ne'er met.

"I was truly blown distant by the effect that conception of the documentary had connected their lives, it pushed them to spell and get help. Some of the messages were precise affectional to read."

Botham: "I americium precise fortunate not to person been successful that concern but I person been astir players that have. They didn't get immoderate assistance oregon proposal successful those days. I instrumentality my chapeau disconnected to Ben. By coming retired determination and saying, 'I request a break' a batch of players volition beryllium overmuch much relaxed astir pursuing suit."

Botham is the archetypal of the Today programme's Christmas impermanent editors. You tin perceive to his amusement connected 26 December connected BBC Sounds.