England captain Ben Stokes with coach Brendon McCullum. (Getty Images) England captain Ben Stokes has hit back at criticism over his team’s limited preparation for the upcoming Ashes series against Australia, saying the team has done “everything possible” to be ready for the challenge of winning a Test Down Under for the first time in 14 years.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!With the first Test starting on November 21 in Perth, England’s only preparation is a three-day match against their second team, the England Lions, starting at Lilac Hill on Thursday. The decision to skip traditional tournament matches against state sides has fueled debate among cricket legends including Ian Botham, Ian Healy and Geoffrey Boycott, who believe Stokes’ men risk being undercooked for the series.However, Stokes dismissed these concerns. “Obviously state cricket is going on at the moment,” he said on Wednesday. “Time is also a consideration. Some of our team played the white-ball series in New Zealand. We put a lot of time and effort into how we prepare for each series and that hasn’t changed for this one.”
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Acknowledging the “busy schedule” of modern cricket, he said it was much harder to find time for a few warm-up games compared to “10, 15, 20, 30 years ago”.“Come the 21st of this month and we know we would have done everything we could have done,” said the all-rounder.England batting coach Marcus Trescothick backed his captain, saying modern cricket no longer allows the luxury of extended preparation. “With the volume of cricket being played, you don’t have time for two or three first-class games like you did in the past,” he said.Meanwhile, former England great Ian Botham remained unconvinced and warned the side may struggle to adapt to Australian conditions. “Well, it’s not the way I would prepare,” Botham said in Melbourne on Tuesday.Stokes, who has never won a Test in Australia, insisted the team will not be intimidated. “Coming to Australia for the Ashes is a lot different than anything else when you’re playing. There’s a lot more to it than the cricket itself.”The five-Test series will move from Perth to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. England last won an away Ashes series in 2010-11.
