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'Tough One To Swallow'- Dejected Ben Stokes Reacts To England's Heart-breaking Defeat in Lord's Test

image-ljlm63qdBen Stokes' valiant knock went in vain [Source: AP]

Riding on their bowlers' commendable effort, Australia recorded a clinical win in the second Ashes Test, handing England a comprehensive 43-run defeat at the iconic Lord's cricket ground. Although Australia emerged triumphant, English skipper Ben Stokes received massive applause for his scintillating hundred, which powered the hosts close to the target. 

After the game concluded, Stokes seemed dejected in the post-match presentation, as he considered the outcome tough to digest. However, the veteran all-rounder expected his side to bounce back in the remainder of the series, reminiscing their success in the recent past. 

"Having experienced something like that before, it was good to look back at that and have a game plan. But unfortunately it wasn't enough today. Yeah, it got to the point where Australia changed their plans, and I changed my approach as well. Tough one to swallow, to get so close. We're 2-0 down but we've won 3-0 against NZ, 3-0 against Pakistan, so we know we can do it."

Stokes also seemed to have moved on from Jonny Bairstow's runout dismissal, which sparked controversy and anguish among the English fans earlier in the day. The experienced campaigner also lauded his bowlers for their valiant efforts throughout the Test match. 

"I asked the umpires if they called over, they said no. End of the day it's out. If the shoe was on the other foot, I'd have to have a think around spirit of the game. It's happened, it's out, we've got to move on. When you win the toss and bowl you always want to restrict them. The lads got a bit of criticism but the amount of times we went past the bat was frustrating. The efforts we put in, bowling short for hours on end, the efforts can't be faulted. It's tough when you have lost but a lot of positives."

Australia went two-nil up in the five-match series with the fighting victory at Lord's. The third Test, a do-or-die one for England, commences at Headingley in Leeds this Thursday.