After another humiliating loss to Australia left the Ashes dangling by a thread, England captain Ben Stokes has called on his side to toughen up, emphasizing that the team is “not a place for weak men”.
After losing by eight wickets in both Perth and Brisbane in the first two Tests of the five-match series, England is in deep trouble and woke up on Monday to more harsh criticism. Stokes wants to see more passion from his players as they face a near impossible challenge of winning the next three Test matches to reclaim the Ashes.
“There is a saying that we have said a lot here — Australia is not for weak men,” Stokes told the BBC. “A dressing room that I am captain of is not a place for weak men either.”
In contrast to Australia, who have been able to dig deep and gain the upper hand, Stokes was especially critical of England’s collapse under pressure.
“Do we need to start thinking about what mentality we are taking into those pressure moments?” Stokes said.
“When we are on top we are great and when behind the game we are also very good but when that moment is neck and neck we are not coming out on top on enough occasions.”
With headlines like “Humiliated,” “Humbled,” and “Bazball in Ashes,” which allude to Stokes’ and coach Brendon McCullum’s aggressive style that has so far failed, the Australian media had a field day at England’s expense.
Geoffrey Boycott, a former England great, was harsh in his criticism.
“Brisbane was a horror show: irresponsible batting, bowling too short, too wide or too full and catches dropped,” he said in a newspaper column. “With this sort of batting and bowling, they couldn’t win an egg cup, let alone the Ashes urn.”
Before the crucial third Test in Adelaide on December 17, where Australia will be bolstered by the return of captain Pat Cummins, England has more than a week to reorganize. However, following two devastating losses, a planned four-day beach vacation at the popular playground Noosa might not be the best idea.
Stokes justified the choice by stating that it was critical for players to unwind.
“We have been here four weeks and they have been pretty full on,” he told reporters.
“As physical as this game is, a huge part of it is also the mental side of it. I know that. I have experienced that. I know what the game can do to you when things aren’t quite feeling right or going well. Trust me when I say it is so, so important for teams to be able to go away as a team and almost put the pressures aside for a couple of days,” he added.
McCullum’s suggestion that the team “trained too much” in the run-up to the day-night match in Brisbane has been criticized, adding to England’s problems. After losing to Perth, England decided to have five hard practices in the Brisbane nets instead of sending their best players to a pink-ball tour match in Canberra.
“I actually feel like we over-prepared to be honest,” he said.
“I think the boys just need a few days off and we probably need to change up a few of the training methods.”
In response, England great Kevin Pietersen said on X: “Leading into this Test match, I think we over-prepared. Crikey, Baz,” while Darren Gough added: “Over-prepared my arse.”
