England captain Ben Stokes has responded to the lack of warm-up games leading up to the Ashes on Australian soil. Stokes has confirmed that England will play an intra-squad game at Lilac Hill which will feature some England Lions players as well. he feels that the competition will be tough and there will be no easing into the contest.
"Next few days is balls to the wall for everyone, no easing into it and it will be a good run for everyone," he said. "We're going to be giving everyone in our squad time out in the middle. Everyone will be getting an opportunity.
"It will be proper and taken very seriously the next few days. We've got nine days until the first Test and a lot of things can happen."
Stokes on his injury
Stokes opened up about injuries. He says that he is more prone to injuries considering his all-round role in the game. Earlier this year, he had missed the fifth and final Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to a shoulder injury.
"[Injuries] could happen any time, one of those things when you're an athlete you're always exposing yourself to injuries," he said. "It's part of what we do. I bat, bowl and field. It's a pretty high intensity role that I do.
"It's frustrating, but also a little bit of realisation that I might have a little niggle here and there."
Stokes bowling full tilt for 2 months
After recovering from the injury, Stokes has been bowling long spells in the nets. Ben Duckett had said that his captain in a ‘beast mode’ unlike anything he has ever seen. Stokes is happy with the way his body is responding to hard work as well.
"I've been bowling like that for two months now," Stokes said. "It was nice to put the feet up but once the rehab started, I've hit the ground running. There has been a lot of hard work to get my body in a good place. I've had two-three months of building up to get here and that's where all the hard work comes in."
Setback for Australia
The Ashes 2025-26 will commence on November 21 in Perth. Meanwhile, Australia have suffered another setback with Sean Abbott getting ruled out of opener after an injury in Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Victoria.