England captain Ben Stokes has laughed off attempts by the Australian press to unsettle him ahead of the upcoming Ashes series, saying “it’s expected” and “part of being” Down Under.
Stokes and his players begin their preparations for the first Test against the Aussies on November 21 when they take on the Lions at Lilac Hill in a three-day warm-up game.
Some pundits have suggested the tourists might be undercooked for an Ashes battle, but Stokes explained his reasoning in an interview with Sky Sports, saying the coaching team have been putting plans in place for the series – which starts at Perth’s Optus Stadium – for many months.
Few years of planning
The England skipper said: “We’ve not been preparing for this tour over the last three weeks – we’ve put a lot of thought and process into this for a few years now.
“There’s quite a few factors that play into why we can’t prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past.
“The landscape of cricket has changed and that affects preparation and how you are able to do it, but we are very confident and comfortable with how we prepare because we leave no stone unturned.
“You used to be able to come out on a tour a month-and-a-half, two months before the first game started. Now there’s so much cricket packed into the schedule, it’s impossible to do it how it used to be done.”
READ MORE: The Ashes news: Full list of fixtures, dates and times as England meet old foes Australia
Aussie press target Root
The West Australian has turned up the heat on Stokes, calling him ‘Cocky Captain Complainer’, while they have also targeted star England batter Joe Root.
Root is the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket – but has yet to register a century Down Under, with the Aussie media aiming to get under his skin.
Stokes told Sky Sports: “It always gets quite spicy the closer you get to the opening game.
“I think we just let the outside people have those war of words. It’s been quite funny to see what’s been coming out recently.
“I was a bit gutted when they turned their attention to Rooty because I was waiting to see what the next headline about me was, but it’s expected. That’s part of being in Australia.
“It’s another one of those things we’re going to have to deal with, especially some of the guys out here for the first time. It’s letting them know it’s probably what it’s going to be like.”
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