Ben Stokes, the combustable all-rounder whose five-wicket haul fired England to within three wickets of a historic Ashes victory, has urged his teammates not to lose focus ahead of the decisive third day.

The home nation require three further wickets to secure the Ashes at Trent Bridge for the first time ever and - with an overnight lead of 90 runs - the 24-year-old is confident that victory can be achieved without troubling the batsmen.

“As a team we are in a really good position,” he said. “We need three more wickets to get the Ashes back, but we know their tail can hang around and get some runs.

“We need to make sure that we bowl as well tomorrow as we did tonight and hopefully we don’t have to worry about getting our pads on.

“The Ashes isn’t quite in our gasps yet, but we are very close. 

“Tomorrow hopefully we can out there, bowl as well as we have done and get it over and done.

“We know that the game isn’t over until the last wicket is taken. We need to take that attitude into tomorrow.”

Stokes’ first experience of international cricket came in the harrowing 5-0 whitewash defeat against Australia of a year and a half ago.

But, with the Alastair Cook and Trevor Bayliss regime putting confidence in his bowling and allowing him to prepare in his own way, the mercurial north-easterner has never been happier as an England cricketer, particularly when he gets to bowl in conditions where the ball swings.

“To still be in an England shirt and be very close to being in an Ashes winning side is fantastic to be a part of,” he said.

“I am really happy with being given the extra responsibility from Cook to bowl some more overs - and today the ball was swinging throughout the whole innings, which played in my favour.

"I’ve always been able to do that, its just I have never had the chance to bowl for England when the conditions have been so in favour of swing.

 “The whole group has been a lot more relaxed, and we play a lot of football in the morning,” Stokes continued with a smile.

“It’s been good to go away and do your own thing and know what works for you - having that responsibility on your shoulders that if you don’t do the right things, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

“Cooky has gone through a really tough last two years, but since the West Indies he’s found that form again that has probably made him the greatest ever England batsman.

“To be under his captaincy is brilliant and I think not only has his form got better, but his captaincy has got better since I first came into the team.”