Key Duels of Ashes 2025: Ben Stokes challenges Pat Cummins in the battle of nerves

By Megh Mandaliya

Few rivalries in modern Test cricket carry the same bare emotion and tactical depth as Ben Stokes vs Pat Cummins.

It’s not just England’s talismanic all-rounder against Australia’s precision-driven captain; it’s a battle between unflinching aggression and cold-blooded control. 

Across three Ashes series since 2019, the pair have faced off 333 times in Tests.

Stokes has collected 215 runs from those exchanges, falling six times, with a strike rate of 64.6 and an average of 35.8. 

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Series-by-series breakdown 

Series	Runs/Balls	Dots	4s/6s	SR
2019 (in England)	103 (130)	89	14/2	79.2
2021-22 (in Australia)	32 (63)	52	6/0	50.8
2023 (in England)	80 (140)	87	8/0	57.1

Folklore

Neither has stamped authority over the other, yet each seems to bring out the best in the other.

In 2019, Stokes carved out 103 runs off 130 balls against Cummins during the Ashes in England. That was the summer of Headingley, the innings that turned Stokes into folklore.

Cummins, though, was always there, probing away at fourth stump, beating the bat, drawing false shots. 

Cummins dismissed Stokes twice that series, but not before enduring the rebellious 10th-wicket-stand with Jack Leach that denied Australia victory.

It was the first sign of how this rivalry would play out: Stokes defying logic, Cummins holding his nerve.

Exploiting

When the series shifted to Australia in 2021-22, so did the balance.

On bouncier, faster pitches, Cummins took charge. He held Stokes to just 32 runs off 63 balls, dismissing him twice more at an average of 16.0.

The 32-year-old pacer burgeoned on the extra bounce and seam, exploiting Stokes’ desire to counterattack. 

Every time Stokes looked to impose himself, Cummins drew him into danger, a faint edge here, a mistimed pull there.

It was precision bowling at its finest, designed to outlast rather than overpower.

In 2023, Cummins reverted to his methodical best in English conditions. He removed Stokes twice again, but this time after long battles.

Stokes still managed 80 runs off 140 balls, but his boundary rate dropped to one every 14 balls, which was also his lowest of the three Ashes encounters. 

Subdued

At Lord’s in 2023, he unleashed a breathtaking counterattack against Australia, hammering 155 (214) in a near-impossible chase.

Cummins bowled through that storm, occasionally going for runs but never losing his method.

Stokes faced 74 balls from Cummins in that innings, managing only 37 runs, including two boundaries.

That contrasts with Australia’s other spearheads, Josh Hazlewood (36 off 54 balls with three sixes) and Mitchell Starc (35 off 55 balls with two fours and two sixes).

Cummins’ control of the run rate, conceding only 3.9 per over, effectively subdued England’s Bazball tempo whenever Stokes was at the crease.

Personalties

Their statistical duel mirrors their personalities. Stokes plays with visible emotion, riding the highs and lows of every delivery.

Cummins, by contrast, is measured to the point of being inscrutable. 

The contest often defines entire sessions. Since 2019, four of Stokes’ dismissals to Cummins have come within 40 balls of his arrival at the crease, early breakthroughs that set the tone for the 34-time Ashes champions. 

Conversely, when Stokes lasts beyond 60 deliveries, his average against Cummins climbs to 53.

But to survive early on, the southpaw will have to cut through Cummins’ relentless consistency.

Ben Stokes embodies England’s unflinching aggression

Early tone

Most of Cummins’ deliveries to Stokes have landed in the good-length corridor (6-8m), with a fair share pitched shorter, aimed at the ribcage or back foot. 

He’s also operated consistently around the corridor of uncertainty, forcing Stokes to play at a higher percentage of balls than he would ideally like.

Heading into the 2025 Ashes, this duel will again be pivotal. Cummins’ absence from the first Test in Perth due to a back injury could allow Stokes to set an early tone against a new-ball attack missing its most disciplined operator, and claim the opening lead for the visitors.

But when Australia’s strategic spearhead returns, his length and extra bounce could again test Stokes’ technique.

READ MORE: Key Duels of Ashes 2025: Zak Crawley and Mitchell Starc face off in a battle of risk vs reward