ADELAIDE — With the Ashes series poised at 1-1 and the iconic Adelaide Oval hosting the crucial third Test, England captain Ben Stokes has issued a rallying cry to his team, demanding they “show a bit of dog” in their fight to regain the urn. The phrase, a quintessentially gritty piece of sporting vernacular, cuts to the heart of the challenge facing England: matching Australia’s renowned aggression and resilience in their own backyard.
Stokes’s comments come after a dramatic second Test at Lord’s, where England’s thrilling 371-run chase fell just 43 runs short, leaving the series level. While the performance showcased the attacking ‘Bazball’ philosophy, it also exposed moments where England’s fight wavered under intense Australian pressure, particularly during the controversial Jonny Bairstow stumping incident. Stokes is now calling for a streetwise, combative edge to complement their free-flowing style.
The Meaning Behind the Metaphor
To “show a bit of dog” is not a call for reckless aggression or poor sportsmanship. Instead, it’s a demand for tenacity, resilience, and an unyielding competitive spirit. It’s about winning the key moments, standing firm under the barrage of a hostile crowd and a skilled opponent, and displaying a hunger that matches the occasion. “It’s about that fight, that character,” Stokes elaborated in his pre-match press conference. “It’s about not taking a backward step when the pressure is on.”
This mentality is seen as the missing ingredient that could turn England’s positive cricket into series-defining victories in Australia. The Adelaide Test, a day-night affair under lights with the pink Kookaburra ball, presents a unique tactical and mental challenge. Stokes believes success will hinge not just on technique, but on attitude. “We’ve shown we can play the cricket that puts Australia under pressure,” he said. “Now we have to show we can out-fight them, too.”
Areas Where "Dog" is Needed
Stokes’s directive targets specific phases of the game where England must improve to wrest control from Pat Cummins’s side. The call for greater fight translates into several key performance indicators:
- The First Hour: England’s top order must navigate the new ball with more conviction, especially under lights. Surviving and scoring against the world-class Australian attack sets the platform.
- Middle-Overs Scrappiness: When the ball is soft and the game is drifting, England’s bowlers and fielders must create energy and pressure through relentless accuracy and athleticism.
- Seizing Momentum: Converting promising positions—like a 180-run partnership—into match-winning leads requires a ruthless, hungry mindset to crush opposition hope.
The fielding effort, often a barometer of a team’s spirit, will be under particular scrutiny. Dropped catches and missed run-outs at critical junctures have cost England dearly. Stokes’s demand is for a pack mentality in the field, where every player hunts the ball and supports the bowler with unwavering intensity. “It’s the one-percenters,” said assistant coach Paul Collingwood. “The extra dive, the backing up, the verbals that lift your mate. That’s what ‘dog’ is about.”
Stokes Leading from the Front
No one embodies the fighting spirit Stokes is calling for more than the captain himself. His unforgettable 135 not out at Headingley in 2019 and his heroic 155 at Lord’s this series are the very definition of showing ‘dog’. His leadership style is built on leading by example, both with his fearless batting and his whole-hearted bowling spells, even while managing a chronic knee injury.
The question for England is whether the rest of the squad can consistently match their captain’s threshold for combat. Players like wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, whose pugnacious century at Manchester in the 2023 series was a masterclass in controlled aggression, will be central to this effort. Similarly, the bowling attack, led by the experienced Stuart Broad and the fiery Mark Wood, must channel their skill into sustained, hostile spells that refuse to let the Australian batters settle.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, no stranger to on-field confrontation, acknowledged the potency of Stokes’s message. “It’s a good line from Stokesy,” Ponting told the ICC Review. “He’s basically saying they need to be harder for longer. Australia have always prided themselves on that. If England can match that, this series is wide open.”
A Pivotal Moment in the Series
The Adelaide Test represents more than just another match; it’s a potential turning point. A win for England would see them take a 2-1 lead to Melbourne, with all the momentum and psychological advantage that entails. A loss would hand the initiative back to Australia, requiring England to win both remaining Tests to reclaim the Ashes—a monumental task.
Stokes’s call to arms is therefore timed for maximum impact. It is an acknowledgment that skill and strategy, while vital, are not enough to win an Ashes series in Australia. The intangible qualities of heart, grit, and collective resolve—the ‘dog’—are what often separate the teams in the tightest contests. As the sun sets over Adelaide Oval and the floodlights take over, the world will be watching to see if England can answer their captain’s call and unleash the fighting spirit required to change the course of this historic series.
The stage is set for a contest that will be measured not just in runs and wickets, but in desire. Ben Stokes has laid down the challenge. Now, his team must prove they have the bite to match their bark.