England star Brydon Carse has opened up on Ben Stokes after the Three Lions captain produced a sublime performance with the ball against Australia on day one of the Ashes in Perth.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, rather than bowl, as they seek a victory that would put them in the ascendancy for the rest of the series.
England initially struggled but still managed to post a respectable 172, with Harry Brook particularly impressive.
But Stokes led from the front with the ball, with the all-rounded claiming five wickets as Australia ended the day on 123-9.
It was a positive start to the series for the Three Lions, who haven't triumphed Down Under since Andrew Strauss' captaincy.
And Carse has now revealed what Stokes said behind the scenes before Australia's innings following an enthralling evening session.
“Ben Stokes kept it very simple. We had 50 minutes before tea and I thought the way Jofra [Archer] and Gus [Atkinson] started was exactly what we spoke about as a group," he told the BBC.
Ben Stokes led from the front as England whittled Australia down to 123-9
|REUTERS
"We continued it as a group of five seamers throughout that last session.
"Stokesy said let’s smash the wicket hard and let’s get as much as we can out of the wicket.
“The group of six or seven seamers in the squad, we all complement each other, we all have different skills and attributes and I think that stands us in good stead.
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"We’ll rotate our five seamers, try and get as much as we can out of the wicket.”
Carse also lavished praise on Stokes, insisting he deserved all the plaudits.
“Unbelievable. The way he’s trained over the last three or four months to get to this position to be fit and firing," he stated.
"Today he reaped his reward. His character and resilience is something this team looks up to.”
In a separate interview with TNT Sports, meanwhile, Carse admitted that England would sense blood right from the off on Saturday as they look to claim the last Australian wicket.
Ben Stokes was the hero of the day in England's Ashes Test match with Australia in Perth
|REUTERS
The 30-year-old added: "What a day!
"I think everyone who has come to watch today has had their time worth it! A fantastic last session there from everyone puts us into a really strong position going into tomorrow.
"[Stokes] is amazing. His character and resistance is everything this team strives to be. It was a game-changing spell in that session from him.
"The first thing tomorrow is to knock over that last wicket.
"We've seen some of the guys who have got starts and some runs today. The way they went about - they took the positive option.
"I think our batters will know what sort of game plan they're going to need."