Barbie fever takes over the Ashes; Mark Wood plays song at Ben Stokes’ press conference

During the press conference, England pacer Mark Wood decided to entertain everyone by playing the original “Barbie Girl” song on the microphone. A bemused Stokes looked around and the cameras panned to Wood enjoying the prank on the first floor. File Photo.

Over the last week, almost all attention has been directed to the box office clash between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” These two films have been the subject of much discussion and critique, particularly “Barbie,” which has garnered positive reviews.

Interestingly, the Barbie craze has extended beyond the realm of cinema to the world of cricket. Well, ahead of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia, England’s captain, Ben Stokes’ pre-match press conference started off on a musical note. During the press conference, England pacer Mark Wood decided to entertain everyone by playing the original “Barbie Girl” song on the microphone. A bemused Stokes looked around and the cameras panned to Wood enjoying the prank on the first floor.

The Ashes action will continue in the fifth and final Test as Ben Stokes-led English side will take on Australia at the Oval. Australia have already retained the urn, but England would be keen to win this match and draw level in the series.

Despite England’s dominance in the 4th Test, where they took a commanding 275-run lead and had Australia 5 wickets down at stumps on Day 4, their quest for a series-leveling victory was prevented by persistent rain.

Ben Stokes expressed his feelings about the situation, revealing that leaving Manchester after the game was called off due to rain was very unfortunate and one that was an emotional one for him.

“It was a really bizarre feeling the way the game petered out because of the weather. You sort of look back and wish maybe we either got beat or Australia managed to pull a draw off in that situation,” Stokes said.

England decided to stick with the same playing XI as they have shown faith in the team that were dominant in Manchester.

James Anderson, who is set to celebrate his 41st birthday this Sunday, has managed to hold on to his spot in the final Test. Anderson’s performance in the series has been below expectations as he has been able to pick up just four wickets in three Tests with an average of 76.75.