Since 2015, England have not won the Ashes, but when captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum worked together to alter the format of Test cricket, things appeared to be improving. They brought in a new, daring variation of cricket that the media dubbed “Bazball,” and the results were encouraging. However, the Ashes stayed out of sight, but Stokes’s remarks during England’s 2023 Ashes draw has sparked controversy.
Stokes invokes controversy, Fox Sports joins in
Stokes was shown in a documentary by the England Cricket Board trying to lift the spirits of the defeated team when the series was tied 1-2 and the Manchester fourth match was close to being a washout. He claimed that England live rent-free in Australia’s mind, a claim that Fox Sports challenged. Stokes responded boldly to Fox Sports’ playful jab at him, insisting that he was only motivating the team.
“Everything we’ve done up until now isn’t going to stop because we haven’t managed to win the urn back. The reward for our work isn’t what we get but what we become. And what we have managed to do is we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket,” said Stokes in the documentary.
Fox Cricket posted an article with Stokes’ quotes from Old Trafford and took a dig saying: “…right, yeah, sure.”
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Ben Stokes hits back
The England captain, however, responded by saying, “Said this to the team who had watched it rain for 2 days when we had our foot on your throats, just tried to cheer up the disappointment tbh, but anyways rent free and all that.”
In 2025, England will play Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, as the fire gets hotter. Stokes, who has bid adieu to white-ball cricket, is anticipated to captain the team, and the match will be fierce. With England set to play in Australia in 2025 for the Ashes, the rivalry has taken on a whole new meaning thanks to the media’s involvement in the off-field rivalry.
