The Ashes 2025-26: "We're not arrogant.." Ben Stokes makes massive statement ahead of Gabba test
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Ben Stokes-led England lost the first Ashes 2025-26 test in Perth.
England captain Ben Stokes has made a bold statement ahead of the second test of the Ashes 2025-26 at the Gabba in Brisbane. England were left rueing in Perth after what was a stunning defeat for them as Australia ran away with the match in the second innings.
England captain Stokes has rubbished the opinions around his team. The all-rounder believes England could not seize the opportunities in Perth, but they are not “arrogant.” It was Travis Head’s 123-run knock off 83 balls that pushed England out of a contest which saw both teams at par until the beginning of Australia’s second innings.
Stokes rebukes critics
“Look, you can call us rubbish, call us whatever you want, we didn’t have the Test match that we wanted to. We were great in passages of that game, but I think arrogant might be a little bit too far,” said Stokes in his interaction with the media.
Ben Stokes, as the leader of the unit, is not shying away from criticism, but he believes calling England arrogant is not a wise call.
“But that’s okay. We’ll take the rough with the smooth. I’d rather words like ‘rubbish’, but ‘arrogant’, I’m not so sure about that,” stated the England skipper.
England captain emphasizes taking lessons from the Perth disaster
Ben Stokes has set his demands for his teammates. He wants his team not to commit the same mistakes that they made in Perth, which led to them conceding a lead in the series.
“The important thing we need to do as a team and individuals is learn from it. We have identified those moments, spoken about them as a group, that’s what we need to do. In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do, definitely. But again, we have a mindset of playing the game which is looking to put the opposition under pressure, but also absorbing pressure,” said Stokes, emphasizing learning as a group.
“Sometimes when you go out there and make a decision, it doesn’t always pay off, or work the way you want it to. That’s the key for the rest of this tour, staying true to the beliefs of how we play our cricket. But also we do know we could have been a lot better in certain ways,” he added
“We are absolutely desperate”
Stokes has reassured the English fans back home that his goal as the leader of the group is to win the Ashes and bring the urn back home.
He concluded saying, “We know that there’ll be a lot of disappointed fans in England after that first defeat. But it’s a five-game series, we’ve got four games to go, we’ve lost the first one – we’re absolutely desperate to come home with that goal from before we even started the series, which is to win the Ashes.”
When will Australia and England play the second Ashes test?
The second Ashes test will be played from December 4-8.
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Navtej is all about narrating stories of human endeavour shaped by sporting excellence, from 22 yards to lush green pitches and buzzing arenas. With a background in broadcasting, he has a keen eye for compelling narratives that keep readers hooked. He primarily covers football and cricket, capturing the magic of two of the world’s most beloved sports.