England captain Ben Stokes has hit back at former players who have criticised the team’s preparation for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia.
Speaking ahead of their warm-up match against the England Lions in Perth, Stokes said his side will go “balls to the wall” in the three-day game and they are fully ready for the upcoming match. The first Test starts on November 21 inPerth.
Former players like Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan, and Graham Gooch have questioned the limited build-up before the big match. Botham said it ‘borders on arrogance’, Vaughan called it a ‘huge risk’ and Gooch marked it as ‘glorified practice’.
Responding to them, Stokes told BBC Sport, “Preparation is nowhere near as simple as it used to be. You could come out on a tour two months before the first game started. We’ve been preparing for this tour not over the last three weeks, but putting a lot of thought and process into this for a few years now. I don’t know what else we’re expected to be able to do.”
He added, “There are quite a few factors that go into why we can’t prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past. It’s all changed. We’re very comfortable with how we prepare because we leave no stone unturned.”
Stokes is returning from a shoulder injury, but he has confirmed he has been bowling at full pace for two months and is ready to take on the role of an all-rounder. “That’s all I’ve been doing for last three months; making sure I’m fit and strong,” he said.
The captain also backed Ollie Pope and supported Harry Brook’s promotion to vice-captain. Stokes also laughed off an Australian newspaper calling him “Cocky Captain Complainer”, saying, “It’s unbelievable journalism… It’s expected. That’s part of being in Australia. It’s another one of those things that we’ll have to deal with… It’s not just stuff out on the field that can get you – it’s also some of the off-field stuff. It’s also how you take it. You can take it in your stride and laugh it off.”
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