Ben Stokes believes some of the criticism of the England team has gone too far, but would rather be called “rubbish” than “arrogant”.
A two-day defeat in the first Ashes Test in Perth last week led to a number of difficult questions for the tourists, with their pre-series preparation, loose shot selection and decision not to send senior players to this weekend’s pink-ball pre-game in Canberra coming under fire.
Former Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson branded Stokes “arrogant” in a strongly worded column in The West Australian newspaper, having previously branded Stokes a “cocky captain complainer”.
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England captain Ben Stokes has urged his players not to dwell on their side’s eight-wicket loss to Australia in the opening Ashes in Perth.
Speaking ahead of the first of five practice sessions in Brisbane ahead of Thursday’s second day-night Test, Stokes challenged those questioning the team’s character.
“Arrogance may be a bit of a stretch, but that’s okay. We’re going to get through the difficulties smoothly,” he said.
“Call me whatever you want. I like the word ‘rubbish’, but I don’t really understand the word ‘arrogant’. I didn’t get the Test match I wanted, but in that match scene I was great.”
Fans who stayed up late to watch from England and thousands of others who made the long journey Down Under were united in disappointment and frustration after England turned a strong position at lunch on the second day into a crushing defeat within hours.
And Stokes insists his players are feeling the same pain.
“What we’re working on is results-based work. We love our fans and we know we have a great fan base that comes here and supports us,” he said.
“They want to see us win, we want to win too, we’re absolutely desperate. They’re absolutely desperate. We’re all on the same wavelength.”
“I know a lot of England fans are disappointed with the first loss, but this is a five-match series and there are still four games left. We lost the first game. We definitely want to go home with the goal we had before the series started, which is to win the Ashes.”
“I could have been better as a captain.”
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Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss the pink ball and what key differences there are during the second day-night Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane
Ms Stokes described herself as “shocked” in the aftermath of the whirlwind loss, but remained calm and measured as she reflected on the week’s events.
He admitted that his leadership had proved inadequate in the face of Travis Head’s match-winning century, and highlighted areas where the batsmen could improve after a disastrous second-innings collapse that took England from solid favorites to losers by stumps at Ranchi.
“I know there were parts of those four innings that I could have done better as captain,” he admitted.
“I’m the one who makes the decisions about how to go out and run the match, and I’m the one who gives the bowlers the plan. Looking back at myself, I wasn’t as clear as I normally would be in that moment.
“Next time we might be in a situation like that, I’ll be in a better place to deal with something that happens very quickly.
“We always try to put pressure on the opponent, but at the same time we understand the moments when we have to absorb the overlapping pressure from the opponent. We know that we are very good in the first part and we all know that there are areas where we can do better in the second part.”
“We don’t ignore it and think, ‘I hope that happens next time.’ We’re professional sportsmen, we take pride in the way we do things, we take pride in the results of the games we play.
“I know a lot of England fans are disappointed with the first loss, but this is a five-game series and there are still four games left.”
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Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss whether Joe Root’s legacy as an all-time great will be affected if he fails to achieve an Ashes century for Australia
England plan extra training in Brisbane
England have booked an extra training session in Brisbane ahead of the second Ashes Test as they look to bounce back from a two-day slump in the series opener in Perth.
The tourists announced on Monday that no first-choice players will travel to Canberra this weekend for the pink-ball tour game against the Prime Minister’s Eleven, with only batsman Jacob Bethell and seamers Josh Tan and Matthew Potts joining the Lions group.
England will spend five days together in Brisbane ahead of a day-night Test at The Gabba from Thursday 4 December, with an optional training slot on Saturday and an additional strengthening session on Sunday.
Saturday’s morning session will take place at Allan Border Field, with the remaining four practices (two in the afternoon and two under lights) taking place at The Gabba from Sunday to Wednesday.
England suffered their 14th defeat in their last 16 Test matches in Australia, with 172 and 164 in Perth. The remaining two games between them were draws.
Hussain: England are ‘not arrogant’ to miss tour matches
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Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain gives his opinion on England not sending any first-choice players to this weekend’s pink-ball tour match in Canberra
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said of England sitting in the first team for the pink-ball match in Canberra.
“It’s not about arrogance.
“They could have played with the pink ball, but if you listen to the Australians here, the Gabba is very different to Canberra, which is slow and sluggish.
“At The Gabba, England will be practicing with a pink ball under the lights, in a net, to get used to the conditions.
“I’ve heard things like, ‘If we go to Brisbane and lose, we’re going to be in trouble, so we’ve got to go and play those two-day games.’
“But you don’t do something because you feel bad if you lose. You do something because you think that’s the best way to prepare your team to win.”
“They decided the best way to prepare was under the lights of the Gabba nets.”
England have right to be ‘nervous’ about decision
England’s Joe Root (front) and Harry Brook (left) after the Ashes defeat in Perth (Getty Images)
Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast:
“If an England batsman had said, ‘I really want to get a taste of what it’s like to bat in a game,’ he should have gone to Canberra – I’m sure he would have. But I have no problem with England’s decision not to go.
“Not only are the pitch conditions different, but the climate is also different – Canberra is cooler and The Gabba is hot and humid.
“As a batsman, I would have liked to have come to the Gabba at the right time to get used to the pace, bounce and heat, rather than rushing in from Canberra.
“It would be easy to panic and make decisions based on appearances, but I think we have to be nervous at this point. Why change course now from a decision we made a while ago?”
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
always UK and Ireland
1st test (Perth – 21st to 25th November): Australia defeats England by 8 wickets 2nd Test (day/night): Thursday 4th December to Monday 8th December (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane 3rd Test : Wednesday 17 December – Sunday 21 December (11:30pm) – Adelaide Oval Fourth Test: Thursday 25 December – Monday 29 December (11:30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground 5th Test: Sunday 4 January to Thursday 8 January (11:30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
