Stokes Is Glad To Break Australia's Drought But Admits The Win Came In ‘Not Ideal’ Circumstances

Stokes explained that the team was still happy to finally end their losing streak in Australia, breaking their losing streak, despite the pitch being heavily in favour of the bowlers. He and Joe Root remembered the 2013-14 tour, which ended with a 5-0 loss and began a decade of misery abroad.

"Yeah, we've got the win, but honestly, it's not what you want, really," Stokes told TNT after the match. "The conditions were heavily sided to one skill of the game, which is not ideal, and the game lasts less than two days.

"But when you take all that away, you are confronted with conditions, and what you've then got to do is decide on what's the best mode of operation to be able to give you the most chance of success. Chasing 170 was always going to be difficult, but I thought the way that we took the game on from the outset was the exact way that we needed to do that."

England Fight Through Noise And Outside Criticism

Despite the series already being gone, both Ben Stokes and Root were encouraged by the way England regrouped after a rough buildup. The fallout from Adelaide, including talk of the team’s trip to Noosa and the viral video involving Ben Duckett, could easily have created more distractions.

"It's disappointing that it's not to affect the series," Root admitted. "But I think it's really important, after everything that's been thrown at the group over the last little while, for us to respond in that fashion, and to find a way on that wicket. It showed good cricket smarts and great bravery to read that situation and play with that conviction. So I'm very proud of the boys, and hopefully we can build on it and use the momentum into the next game."

Stokes said his goal before the match was to protect his players and help them play freely. With more than 94,000 in attendance, he focused on making sure the team carried themselves with confidence and energy.

"In the few days building up to this, you front up to a few things," he said. "The big thing for me, walking out on day one, was obviously understanding that there's going to be 94,000 people here at the MCG, it's going to be loud, so it's just about making sure everyone was on top of the way in which they held themselves, in terms of body language and intensity in the field."

Stokes Salutes The Travelling Fans 

Stokes also praised the supporters who followed England all the way to Australia, noting the passion they showed even during losses earlier in the series.

"We're very lucky that we get to be involved in a sporting occasion like this on Boxing Day," he said. "We obviously get it here, and every now and again in South Africa, but playing on Boxing Day in front of 95,000 at the MCG is something pretty special.

"But the noise difference was no different from the first couple of games, and that shows we've got an unbelievable fan base. They are with us through thick and thin. They've been absolutely awesome, and they've spent a lot of hours in the sun over there today, so I'm hoping [expecting] that a few of them wake up with a sore head."

Even after finally winning a Test, Stokes reminded everyone that England still has work to do in the remaining matches.

"We're over the moon. We're excited that we've managed to get on the right side of the result. But before this game started, we knew what the goal was. We've got two games left, and we want to leave here with two results. So, our focus isn't going to change when we go to Sydney. We're still going to go out there with the exact same mindset and intensity towards beating Australia. There's no such thing as a dead rubber when you represent your country."