England captain Stokes targets emphatic victory over Ireland to launch season two of ‘Bazball’

It’s not whether England will win this first Test of an Ashes summer against Ireland, but how soon they will. It’s that simple and brutal. Winning as emphatically and quickly as possible here at Lord’s is the first challenge in ‘Bazball, Season Two’.

Nothing is impossible, Ben Stokes suggested at Lord’s on Wednesday, and if England has their way, that will extend to beating Ireland as soon as possible, while perhaps finally expunging Gilbert Jessop’s 76-ball century from their Test record books.

Certainly anyone with tickets for the final day of this four-day test would be best advised to make alternative plans, because if the dry weather forecast is correct, it’s hard to see anything other than a landslide and swift England victory .

Not that Stokes would be tempted into making hasty predictions – ‘just win’, he said when asked what his aim is from this Ashes warm-up – but England’s intention in continuing their extraordinary first year under Stokes and Brendon McCullum is bright.

‘It would be good, wouldn’t it,’ Stokes said when asked if England would try to emulate their feat of scoring 500 runs on a test day at the start of their winter win over Pakistan. “Anything is possible if you have the support to go out and do it.

Sear Josh Tongue (above) will make his Test debut against Ireland at Lord’s on June 1

“What we’ve seen over the last year is players move much higher in terms of their potential. And they understand that they might be better than they thought they were. I think that has everything to do with the mindset switch.’

All this positive talk is not to underestimate and disparage Ireland, who have shown England what they are capable of by beating them in 50-over and Twenty20 cricket, most recently at the T20 World Cup in Melbourne last year.

Test cricket, however, is another matter. Not only have Ireland lost all six Tests since becoming a full member of the ICC in 2017, but they have also rested their best player in Josh Little from what should be one of the biggest matches in their history. They don’t exactly give themselves the best chance of what would be extremely upset.

To hear top Irish director Richard Holdsworth say this week that this test is ‘not a top event’ was a depressing sign of the times and, even worse, it seems Little agrees with him. Instead, he has prioritized the IPL and, more understandably, Ireland’s two series of World Cup qualifiers following this test later this month.

One young bowler delighted to be here is Josh Tongue, who was unexpectedly given the chance to make his Test debut in his first ever match at Lord’s ahead of Chris Woakes and now has the chance to fight his way into contention for the Ashes.

“He’s been talked about since he first came on the scene with Worcestershire,” said Stokes. “It’s always great to have someone next to you who can bowl with that extra pace and X factor. I look forward to getting him involved.”

Stuart Broad (above) and Matthew Potts will lead England’s attack for the Ashes

Tongue, 25, joins Stuart Broad and Matthew Potts in a pace attack. Stokes admitted he has been selected with Australia in mind as England didn’t want to risk the likely first Ashes Test line-up of Jimmy Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood.

“It would be a completely different team if this were Australia tomorrow,” said the captain. “We had to look at risk versus reward and I didn’t feel this match was worth taking that risk, especially with Jimmy and Robbo. They come back from minor problems and it’s wise to leave them outside now.’

The same policy will likely apply to the sensitive topic of Stoke’s left knee. The captain is unlikely to bowl as a precaution in this game, but spoke confidently about his chances of an all-round participation in the Ashes after working on his fitness during the IPL.

Stokes made just two appearances for Chennai Super Kings after his £1.3 million signing, injuring a toe and subsequently not even being selected, but insists he used his time on the touchline wisely, joking that he was a ‘John Terry role’ – and what he put in his pocket. is believed to be a significant win bonus – in their IPL winning celebrations.

“I would much rather have played in the IPL, but I managed to turn a disappointing situation into a positive one by focusing on training well,” he said. “Actually, I think playing just two games would have been a blessing in disguise.”

England will look to build on an extraordinary first year under Stokes and Brendon McCullum

That preparation for bowling in the Ashes does not seem to have included much if any bowling in the nets in India.

“The point with me is I don’t have to bowl a lot to keep the rest of my body ticking,” said Stokes. ‘I can take quite a lot off and then build up quickly. It’s not doom and gloom if I don’t bowl this game and I know I’ve given myself the best possible chance to play a full role this summer.’

When Ireland played their inaugural Test against England here four years ago there was something of a World Cup hangover to the match, England being bowled out for 85 before being saved by a second innings 92 from night watchman Jack Leach and then sending Ireland off for just 38 .

This should be an equally eventful test, but chances are it will be a very one-sided and possibly very short game.