England captain Ben Stokes is embracing the magnitude of The Ashes and expects to play in all five Tests against Australia over the next two months.
Head coach Brendon McCullum described this winter’s contest as “the biggest series of all our lives” in September, and Stokes agreed: “Definitely [the biggest series of our lives]. Everyone in the world, everyone in Australia and England, knows how big this is.” Speaking to Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton ahead of the opener in Perth, Stokes said “we’d be lying to ourselves” to call it “just another series.”
Stokes said England have a “great chance” to win a series in Australia for the first time since 2011 — the side have lost 13 and drawn two of 15 Tests in Australia since then. “It’s looking it in the eyes, taking it on and not being afraid of the challenge,” he added. “We know it’s a huge task coming to Australia and everything that comes with that on the field and away from the field. It is a huge two-and-a-half months for us.”
He said England have set clear expectations: “It’s about letting everyone know what the expectations are going to be like, so it’s not a huge shock and a, ‘woah, I didn’t expect this to be like this’.” Stokes insisted the squad was selected to give England “a great chance” and that his appointment came with a “very clear plan” to take the team forward and improve.
On a personal level, Stokes said the series will not diminish the work he’s put into the captaincy and expressed his desire to return home as one of the few England captains to win an Ashes series: “I am desperate to get that plane home saying I am one of the few England captains to win an Ashes series.”
‘I will leave it all out there, I have nothing to prove’
Stokes stressed he has nothing to prove in Australia despite averaging 28.61 with the bat there and 40.94 with the ball. His home summer was curtailed by a shoulder issue and he suffered two hamstring injuries in the second half of 2024. He said: “I give absolutely everything when I play for England around the world. If I walk out on the field feeling I have to prove myself, that isn’t me as a captain or leader.”
“I definitely expect to play all five Tests. I am 34, I have played a lot of cricket and it is hard to do everything as an all-rounder. That is how I have always played the game. I will leave it all out there. I have worked so hard the last three months to make sure that when it comes to game time I am there physically to fulfil that role.”
Australia will be without premier seamers Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring) for the Perth Test, with Scott Boland and uncapped Brendan Doggett likely to come in. While some see those absences as an opportunity, Stokes warned: “Australia are, and always will be, one of the biggest forces in Test cricket, cricket in general. People may have swayed the result one way or the other with Pat and Josh missing the first Test but we don’t feel that way at all. They are a fiercely competitive nation when it comes to sport and we know whoever comes into the team are going to be tough to go up against. We will be taking this game just as seriously as if Pat and Josh were playing.”
England squad for first Ashes Test
Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26 (All times UK and Ireland)
– First Test: Friday November 21 – Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, Perth
– Second Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4.30am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
– Third Test: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (12am) – Adelaide Oval
– Fourth Test: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
– Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
