Ben Stokes Fires Back at Ashes Critics: 'Balls to the Wall' Preparation

Earlier, former Ashes star Ian Botham had criticised the team's minimal build-up, which features only one three-day match against the second-string squad before the first Test at Perth's Optus Stadium - an approach he described as 'bordering on arrogance'.

Ben Stokes emphasised the intensity of the team's upcoming preparation period, saying that the next three days will be full-on with no gradual buildup. With only nine days remaining before the first Test match, he noted that much can still change, but the focus will be on giving all selected players valuable time and practice in match conditions.

"The next three days is balls to the wall for everyone. No easing into it. We've got nine days until that first Test match. So a lot of things can happen. But this will be a nice opportunity to allow everyone from our squad that we've chosen to be able to get some time in the middle," Stokes told reporters here on Wednesday.

This week, England assembled on Australia's west coast, with many players arriving from the white-ball tour of New Zealand, some from family holidays, and others joining the 18-player Lions group that is shadowing the tour.

It is a stark contrast to the triumphant 2010-11 Ashes tour, when England entered the series after securing three first-class wins.

Botham noted that his 1986-87 team also played against state sides before winning the Ashes, and commented on the current low-key preparation, saying, "It's not the way I would prepare."

However, Stokes had a different opinion as he stated, "'Now there's so much cricket packed into the schedule it's impossible to do it how it used to be done. But we've not been preparing for this tour not over the last three weeks, we've put a lot of thought and process into this for a few years now."

"So I don't know what else we're expected to do? There's Sheffield Shield cricket on at the moment so who would we play against? We're about to go out and face a team who have got a mix between our squad and also the next best players in England. So there's a quite a few factors that go play into the whole of why we can't prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past.

"The landscape of cricket has changed. But we are very confident and very comfortable with how we prepare because we leave no stone unturned," he added.

- IANS