The Ben Stokes-led England have copped criticism after the Ashes 2025-26 opener at Perth Stadium lasted just two days. The England team batted just 67.3 overs and were blown away by Travis Head’s 123 in the run chase. The premature end to the Perth Test has costed Cricket Australia in terms of revenue leading to former Australia head coach Justin Langer slamming England’s approach. Langer revealed that he has talked to a few kids who were left heartbroken as they could not come and watch the Test on November 22 (Sunday). The former Australian opener said that the England batters have a lack of respect for conditions in Australia.
“For the England cricket team, this is a disaster," he wrote in the West Australian. “Having been in front for a lot of the game, their lack of respect for the conditions, their opponent and the game of five-day cricket has cost them in this instance. Missed opportunities tend to keep you awake at night. In the bigger picture, it is not only England that bear the cost of a two-day Test match. What about the kid who misses the opportunity to watch their first day of Test cricket at Optus Stadium?" asked the 55-year-old.
“In the last 24 hours I have heard three stories of heartbroken kids, robbed of the dream of seeing their heroes live. The health of the game is inherently linked with kids falling in love with it. Without that, the game is unsustainable. Two-day Tests are three days of missed opportunities for those kids to fall in love with the game. Friends of mine are in that category. We have been talking about day three of the Perth Test for six months. They are shattered," Langer further wrote.
Langer is also concerned about the monetary loss for staff and the wasted food for a crowd of 50,000 prepared for Day 3. In addition, Cricket Australia lost around 10 million dollars, money which would’ve been used for grassroots cricket.
“The 2,000 casual staff who miss out on working a shift on Sunday. Let’s not forget them… most will be disappointed and missing out on their much-needed wages Their employers at Optus Stadium bear the brunt as much as anyone. They, Cricket Australia and the broadcasters lose millions of dollars. Day three, a Sunday, will cost CA and the stadium around $10 million [about £5 million] in ticket and food and beverage sales. That’s a lot of money that goes back into grassroots cricket. The hundreds and thousands of dollars’ worth of wasted food prepared to service the 50,000 patrons is a travesty," said the southpaw.
England’s Perth XI skips pink-ball warm-up game
After the Perth Test defeat, none of the England batters from playing eleven in Ashes opener will feature in the two-day pink-ball warm-up game against Prime Minister’s XI. Only Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts have joined England Lions for the warm-up game. The next Test will begin on December 4 at The Gabba, Brisbane. With pink-ball posing a threat, it is yet to be seen whether Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum will be willing to tweak the all out attack batting approach.