Amid all the scrutiny England have faced for their horror show on the Ashes tour, captain Ben Stokes has admitted this is probably the toughest time as the side’s leader. Having already been beaten 0-3 with two games to go, England now face a tough road ahead and Stokes remains focused on supporting his players to ensure they end the tour on a positive note.
Speaking to SEN Cricket, Stokes revealed how he felt amid all the noise about their performances on and off the field. Recently, videos have appeared on social networks where some of the England players have been seen allegedly over-indulging in alcohol in their time off. Consequently The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched an investigation to find out which fell during this period.
“This is probably the hardest time as England captain I’ll have now when you lose like we did and we’re 3-0 down,” Stokes commented.
“Everything you say, everything you do is criticised, analyzed and rightly so. When you’re 3-0 down in a big series like this, you don’t really have a leg to stand on,” he added.
HARD TIMES BUT DON’T RUN AWAY
Stokes has been one of England’s greatest all-rounders and throughout his ups and downs career, despite this being one of the toughest moments of his career, he refuses to back down from the chaos and tries continue to support your players and team.
“I’ve had some pretty good times in my career, I’ve had some pretty tough times, but, you know, I’m not going to run away from it,” he said.
“I know first-hand what it can really do to you and knowing we’ve still got two massive games of cricket to play, I’ve got to show support to the players, I’ve got to show support to everyone else in the dressing room,” he added.
He is now focused on making sure he can get the best possible performance out of his time to claim their tour and with two Tests remaining, he is looking to put in a better performance to show he is still the right man for the job.
“The main concern for me as England captain is to make sure I have the players and everyone in the right space to go out there and try to come back with two wins from Australia because that’s the main priority for me now,” he concluded.
With two Tests remaining in Melbourne and Sydney, England will face a very tough test against a dominant Australian side that simply refuses to back down. With the urn now out of the equation, England are expected to play for pride, but it remains to be seen if they can muster the performances to unseat the mighty Australians.
– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
December 24, 2025
