Ben Stokes has brushed aside criticism from “experienced players” over England’s limited Ashes preparations, insisting this week’s internal warm-up with the Lions will be “throwing it against the wall”.
The three-day fixture at Lilac Hill, which starts on Thursday (2am BST), is England’s only match ahead of the opening Test against Australia at Perth’s Optus Stadium from November 21, and the decision was closely watched by former England captains Lord Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan and former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy.
Former Australian opener Simon Katich also told The West Australian – the publication that slammed Stokes and Joe Root on their arrival for the series in a front-page headline – that England’s schedule was “asking for trouble”.
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On the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Sir Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain wondered whether England’s Ashes lead-in was a “high-risk strategy”
But captain Stokes told reporters on Wednesday: “The next three days are going to be a wall for everyone. We can’t let our guard down. It’s going to be a good run-out for everyone.”
“We haven’t been preparing for this tour for the past three weeks, we’ve put a lot of thought and process into this tour over the last few years.
“There are quite a number of factors involved in why we cannot know how we could have prepared in the past.
“The cricketing landscape is changing and that has affected the preparation and the way we do it. But we are leaving no stone unturned and are very confident and comfortable in the way we prepare.
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England batting coach Marcus Trescothick also weighed in on Ashes’ efficient build-up.
“Earlier, you could join a tour a month and a half, two months before the first match started. Now, with so much cricket packed into the schedule, it’s not possible to do it like before.”
Will Pope or Bethel be third in Ashes?
With all rounds of the Sheffield Shield currently underway and key domestic players ruled out of a potential preliminary match against England, Stokes said the tourists decided an 11-on-11 internal match was the best option.
England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick hinted on Tuesday that Ollie Pope would retain his first-team No. 3 spot in the match-up, but there was no guarantee the Surrey man would earn his spot against Australia, with Stokes under pressure from Jacob Bethell.
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Will Hussain and Strauss choose Ollie Pope or Jacob Bethell to bat No. 3 for England in the first Test against Australia?
The captain added: “Popey has done a great job for us in number three. He’s a ball-carrying guy. But with nine days left, there’s going to be a lot that can go right and a lot that can go wrong.”
“As usual, we will have a team for the first or second day of middle school. It will be a good opportunity for everyone on the team to play in the middle.”
The warm-up game will be Stokes’ first match since injuring his right shoulder against India in July, while fast bowler Mark Wood will return after nearly nine months out after undergoing knee surgery.
Stokes will play in the Ashes warm-up game against the Lions starting on Thursday, making his first return to action since July.
Stokes: The media is raving about it, saying it’s ‘pretty interesting’
After the Western Australia team called him “Captain Cocky’s Complainer” and labeled Root, Australia’s second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, still not recorded for a century, an “average Joe”, Stokes added: “I think the build-up is always exciting.
“It always gets pretty tough as we get closer to Opening Day. I think we just let people on the outside have that war of words. It’s very interesting to see what’s come out lately.”
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Stokes told his team that The Ashes were “different” but “there’s nothing to fear.”
“When they focused on Rootie, I was a bit disappointed because I was waiting to see what the next headline would be about me. But that’s to be expected. That’s part of being in Australia.”
“That’s another thing we have to deal with, especially for the players who are coming here for the first time. It lets them know that this is probably going to happen.”
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
always UK and Ireland
First Test: Friday 21st November – Tuesday 25th November (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, Perth Second Test (day/night): Thursday 4th December – Monday 8th December (4.30am) – The Gabba, Brisbane Third Test: Wednesday 17th December – Sunday 21st December (12am) – Adelaide Oval Fourth Test: Thursday 25th December – Monday 29th December (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground Fifth Test: Sunday 4th January – Thursday 8th January (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
