England captain Ben Stokes said on Monday that he had drawn on his natural optimism and experience as a player to help cope with the mental pressure of guiding England to a 2-2 draw in the Ashes series against Australia.
England secured a dramatic 49-run win in the final test at The Oval, bagging seven wickets late in the afternoon to deprive the visitors of their first Ashes series victory in England since 2001.
Stokes spoke frankly about the pressure he had faced during the series after England lost the first two tests, won the third and then missed out on a possible win in the fourth as rain washed out most of the last two days of play.