Ben Stokes, the defiant captain of England, says he won’t let the increased media attention stop him from enjoying Australia, saying it’s better than being back home, where it’s “miserable, freezing cold and dark” at this time of the year.
Players are being tracked through airports, golf courses, and aquariums as part of the five-Test Ashes tour, and every step the squad makes is being closely monitored.
This week, Stokes and other players were photographed riding electric scooters around Brisbane without helmets, which led to the Courier-Mail newspaper’s front-page “Pommy Idiots” headline on Thursday. Not wearing a helmet is an offence under Queensland state law, and police said they had “engaged with the individuals to inform and educate them about compliance requirements.”
Stokes added that being under the spotlight was simply part of touring Australia, and insisted the scrutiny wasn’t bothering him.
“If they (the media) think it is going to stop us enjoying this country when we have time off then it is not going to do that,” he told the BBC.
“Australia is the best country to tour away from cricket. There are so many things to do. You can go out and about and see things that only Australia has to offer, great golf courses, coffee shops and easy places to have lunch.”
He noted that having free time was vital for players to take the burden off.
“We are human,” he said. “We need to enjoy countries when we get the opportunity because we live in England where it is miserable, freezing cold and dark at 4pm.”
After losing the series opener in Perth by 8 wickets inside two days, England are preparing for the second Test in Brisbane starting Thursday.
