by Captain Ben Stokes denied on Wednesday that England were under-prepared for the Ashes series against Australia after heavy criticism from legends Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott.
England’s full squad gathered in Perth just last weekend. Some came from a white-ball series in New Zealand where they lost 3-0, while others arrived dribbling.
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They have just one red-ball warm-up game ahead of the opening Test in Perth on November 21 – a three-day clash against second division England A starting on Thursday.
In contrast, almost the entire Australian Ashes team has played domestic Sheffield Shield matches across the country.
Boycott wrote in a recent column for the British newspaper The Telegraph that England’s preparations were “madness.”
“If they win in Australia, it will be despite their lack of match practice, not because of it. With match practice they would have a better chance,” he said.
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Botham said last month that a lack of warm-ups towards Australian national teams “borders on arrogance” and renewed his criticism this week.
“I think historically when you come here you have to acclimatize,” he said in Melbourne.
“You have to remember that there are 24 million people living down here, not 11. And you have to take that into account.”
“The ball seems to get to you quicker (in Perth) and the light is different. All sorts of things come into the melting pot.”
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But Stokes is adamant England are prepared for a grueling five-Test showdown as they look to win their first series in Australia since 2010-11.
– Busy schedule –
“To be honest, I don’t really know what we should do,” said the talented all-rounder, who has not played cricket since July after suffering a shoulder injury.
“The schedule is pretty full to be able to prepare the way our teams probably would have done 10-15-20-30 years ago.
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“There are many factors that have changed in cricket over the years.
“As far as preparation goes, we have been preparing for this for a long time. We have put a lot of time and effort into preparing for each series and that hasn’t changed with this one either.”
“So as of the 21st of this month, we know we would have done everything possible to be in the right place.”
Assistant coach Marcus Trescodick also defended England’s lead, saying: “Times have changed dramatically in the way cricket is played.”
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“If you look at the situation around the world, everyone does the same thing these days. You come, play a game and go to the series.”
England, who last lifted the Ashes urn at home in 2015, have had a terrible record in Australia recently, losing 13 of their last 15 Tests. The other two were drawn.
Stokes insisted past results meant little.
“They are a phenomenal team, especially at home, so we know the next two and a half months will be tough for us,” he said of Australia.
“But I think all the past series, whether in Australia or England, I don’t think they count for much.”
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