England skipper Ben Stokes’ frosty response to question over Ashes preparation
England captain Ben Stokes has delivered an ice cold remark after copping a question he is absolutely sick of.
Ben Stokes is sick of being questioned about England’s preparations for the upcoming second Test in the Ashes series.
The England skipper and the squad touched down in Brisbane a week out from second Test getting underway at the Gabba.
The visitors suffered an eight-wicket defeat in the series opener with the Test wrapped up inside of two days.
With so many days up their sleeve, Stokes and the team elected to skip sending players to play in a two-day pink-ball tour game against the Prime Minister’s XI.
The match which takes place in Canberra could have given England stars more time at the crease to acclimatise to Australian conditions and the pink-ball in day and night conditions.
Stokes however has defiantly denied the team needs the tune up and is backing in the preparations they have in place.
After touching down in Brisbane and making his way through the terminal, he was questioned once again and his response showed he’d had enough of being asked about it.
“We’re thinking about what we need to do in Brisbane, mate,” Stokes bluntly responded.
It’s not the first time Stokes has delivered a frosty response after being asked why England had elected against playing more warm up games ahead of Tests.
Former England bowler Jonathan Agnew questioned Stokes on the lack up preparation in an interview that quickly took an icy turn.
“Will there be a change of plan (to have some players play the pink ball warm-up)?” Agnew asked on BBC.
“No, we’ve operated in this way, where we know that the preparation that we put in is correct in the way in which works for us … we believe and we trust in our process,” Stokes said.
Agnew however wasn’t done and pressed the English skipper further.
“But why not play it, they’ve laid on a pink ball game for you, under lights, to prepare for the next Test match?” he asked.
Stokes bit back: “I’ve just answered that question, Aggers.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan unloaded on the current England side and said their decision not to take part in the tour game was “absolutely stupid”.
“If this England side don’t think that it is good preparation to go and play a pink ball game, they are absolutely stupid,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket after the first Test.
“Now, I’m not unreasonable and not a dinosaur to suggest that England should play a pink ball game, just two days, it’s not a four-day game, it’s two days in Canberra.
“Go and play those two days. Just get the view of the pink ball under lights. It might just give them a better chance of coming back.
“If they go and play golf for seven or eight days and go on the beaches, they can do that over the course of the next few days - they’ve got three days off that they never thought they were going to have.”
England has lost five of seven pink-ball Tests including two on the previous Ashes tour.
The second Test, also a day/night pink ball match, begins in Brisbane on Thursday December 4.
Originally published as England skipper Ben Stokes’ frosty response to question over Ashes preparation
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