Momentum stops any technical or mental doubts from creeping in: Mark Stoneman

England opener Mark Stoneman had a decent outing with the bat as he hit a fluent 85. (Source: cricket.com.au)

Ahead of the Ashes series, England opener Mark Stoneman had a decent outing with the bat as he hit a fluent 85 on day one of England’s practice match WAXI on Saturday. Along with James Vince, Stoneman forged a crucial partnership to see his side gain the upper hand in the four-day practice game.

Commenting on the importance of this partnership, Stoneman said, “It’s nice, we’re roomies as well this week in Perth and that was good for us. Partnerships are key for us on this tour so it was important for us today. We’re happy with how it’s gone.”

“I enjoy batting with him, he’s quite relaxed and always quite easy on the eye when he’s in full flow and he’s got a great range of shots,” he added. “I hope we can complement each other well. We’ve started off on the right foot and if we find ourselves playing in the Tests together hopefully we can put on some good partnerships.”, he added.

“Momentum is massive in any sport and as an individual, if you get off on the right note on tour you can hopefully snowball that and keep things progressing,” he said and further added, “It stops any technical or mental doubts creeping in and lets you get on with your work until that first Test.”

Meanwhile, Alastair Cook was caught behind for a duck, while Stoneman and Vince score 85 and 85 and 82 respectively. Skipper Joe Root was out for 9. However, Stoneman has backed the duo to succeed and said, “I don’t think it’s a good thing they missed out,” he said. “It would have been nice for them if we’d had six guys all passing 50. But in terms of the people that did miss out it’s a bit of a lesser blow. It’s two guys who have phenomenal records in Test cricket and know their games inside out.”