T20 World Cup 2022: "You learn from stuff like that" - Ben Stokes determined to use 2016 final defeat to make a difference

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has assured that he carries no scars from the 2016 T20 World Cup final defeat to the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Instead, the veteran vows to use it to lead England to their second T20 crown this year in Australia.

Stokes was in the thick of things when England lost from a position of strength to the West Indies by four wickets. The all-rounder was given an opportunity to defend 19 runs in the final over. However, Carlos Brathwaite smashed four sixes in a row to seal the second T20 crown for the Caribbean team.

Ahead of England's opening game against Afghanistan on Saturday in Perth, Stokes said it was a long time ago and a player gets conditioned to handle pressure by being in such moments. The 31-year-old claimed that it gives the team an edge over the opposition.

As quoted by The Guardian, the star cricketer said:

"It was such a long time ago. You learn from stuff like that and use it as motivation to get better and drive you. As I’ve always said, I never let that kind of stuff eat me up. The more you are in those and the more you come out on top of them, obviously I think that does give you a slight upper hand maybe on some of the teams that haven’t. I don’t think winning one gives you any favours, I think you’re just used to those high-pressure situations."

The England Test skipper did not play in the 2021 T20 World Cup as he was on a mental-health break. Stokes has had a mixed build-up to the tournament, struggling with the bat in the T20 series against Australia. However, he hit an 18-ball 36 in the warm-up game against Pakistan, showing glimpses of regaining touch.

---

"We just want to play the team, play the situation and stay very calm" - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes. (Image Credits: Getty)

The New Zealand-born player also believes in taking one game at a time and feels rankings hardly matter during knockout matches, adding:

"Going back to the 50-over game, we were No 1 for a long time going into that World Cup and that doesn’t stand you anywhere when you come into knockout games. We just want to play the team, play the situation and stay very calm and level-headed, and then move on to the next game."

England were one of the most dominant teams in last year's edition, but lost to New Zealand in the semi-final. They have also been one of the most consistent teams in ICC events since 2016.