The Ashes 2025-26: England captain Ben Stokes answers why it opted against floodlit warm up
England captain Ben Stokes has addressed why his side ditched a pink-ball tune up in Canberra, saying one piece of criticism went “too far”.
The conditions and quality of attack were two of the factors England considered before snubbing the Prime Minister’s XI between Ashes Test matches.
England turned its back on a pink-ball tune up ahead of the second Test in Brisbane, opting with internal training instead of a two-day match against the Australian side in Canberra.
The decision sparked widespread criticism after England’s thin preparation for the first Test and Australia’s superior record in pink-ball matches.
England captain Ben Stokes understands the idea of sending the top order for another hit but doubts whether the conditions or bowlers will mirror anything they are likely to face at the Gabba.
“I do understand it, we’ve got a pink-ball Test match coming up in Brisbane, there’s an opportunity to play some pink-ball cricket,” Stokes said.
“So I think when you look at just like that, I don’t want to say, ‘It makes sense’, but I totally understand it.
“There’s obviously a lot more to it than just that, there’s where it is, it’s in Canberra which is in a different state, we’re here in Brisbane.
“The competition is obviously going to be completely different to what we’ve got coming up.
“What you try and do is take all the factors into consideration, the pros, the cons, whatever it may be and then you always discuss that and decide what we think is going to be our best preparation.”
The intense pressure on Stokes since arriving in Australia has only intensified over the past week.
He has worn swipes from Lord Ian Botham and 2013-14 Ashes hero Mitchell Johnson about England’s method, commentary and character.
Stokes is happy to cop criticism about the way his side played but says the arrogant label is “too far”.
“You can call us rubbish, call us whatever you want to be and we didn’t have the Test match we wanted to,” Stokes said.
“Again, we were great in passages of that game but I think arrogant might be a little bit too far; that’s OK, we’ll take the rough with the smooth.
“Arrogant, sometimes, you’re a bit like, ‘Ugh’. I am not too sure about that one.”
Australia heads to Brisbane brimming with confidence, having not lost to England at the Gabba since 1986.
Stokes, however, says England holds no fear of the venue and is using the extended break between matches adapting to what he likens to subcontinent conditions.
“Absolutely not (fearing the Gabba), we arrived here on Wednesday, you step off the plane and you automatically get hit by the heat and humidity,” he said.
“I liken it almost to being in Sri Lanka compared to Perth. Over the three days we’ve been here we’ve been out training and we’ve got an understanding of how different this week is going to be compared to Perth.
“It’s a lot more sweatier, muggier, stickier; we feel like it’s going to be a lot harder physically than the conditions we faced in Perth.
“It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be hard, but that’s why it’s called Test cricket.”
Originally published as The Ashes 2025-26: England captain Ben Stokes answers why it opted against floodlit warm up
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