NOW WE'LL RELIGHT THE ASHES

McCullum insists England can perform one of the greatest comebacks ever, starting this week at Headingley... the scene of so many miracles

- DEAN WILSON

HEADINGLEY could be the setting for the mother of all turnarounds with England fired up by inspirational leadership and the burning sense of injustice.

The two are undoubtedly linked, with Ben Stokes' incredible display in scoring 155 on Sunday afternoon fuelled by the wicket of flame-haired boundary-hitting partner-in-crime Jonny Bairstow.

And head coach Brendon McCullum has no intention of taking the heat out of the storm over Bairstow's controversial Lord's dismissal as his team go hunting for the first step on a road to an improbable 3-2 Ashes victory.

No team has overturned a 2-0 deficit since a Donald Bradmanled Australia claimed the 1936-37 Ashes with a trio of wins Down Under.

That is the challenge now facing Stokes and his team, and even though he could not quite get the job done at the home of cricket, a fire has been lit in all his players and the resulting reaction will be unmissable.

Two of England's greatest Ashes triumphs came at Leeds - the Ian Botham-inspired victory in 1981 and Stokes' incredible one-man mission in 2019.

"From our point of view, we believe that we can still come back in this series, and that's where our focus has got to be," said McCullum.