England captain Ben Stokes has set his sights on joining an exclusive group of successful English leaders in Australia as he prepares his team for the highly anticipated Ashes series beginning this Friday at Perth Stadium.
The Historic Challenge
Stokes aims to become just the sixth England captain since World War II to secure an Ashes victory on Australian soil, following in the footsteps of Andrew Strauss (2010-11), Mike Gatting (1986-87), Mike Brearley (1978-79), Ray Illingworth (1970-71) and Len Hutton (1954-55).
The charismatic all-rounder expressed his burning desire to achieve what has eluded England for 15 years, telling reporters: "I have come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as one of the lucky few captains from England to have come here and been successful."
Creating New History
Stokes emphasised the importance of his squad writing their own chapter rather than being burdened by past failures. "A lot has been spoken about the history and how it has gone for England in recent years," he noted. "This is our chance to create our own history and it is up to us how that looks."
The England captain acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge, stating that pretending it was just another series would be dishonest. "Everyone in the world, everyone in Australia, everyone in England, knows how big this series is," Stokes said. "I think if we were to come out and not accept that – treat it as just another series – we'd only be lying to ourselves."
Pace Attack Ready to Fire
One of the most exciting developments for England supporters is the planned unleashing of express fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. The pair haven't featured together in a Test match since their one-off appearance against West Indies in 2020, with both overcoming significant injury challenges through meticulously planned rehabilitation programmes.
Stokes expressed his excitement about the bowling resources at his disposal, highlighting the pace and skill combination. "Two years ago we would have bitten your hand off to be able to take this group of bowlers with us," he revealed. "The bowlers we have got can all bowl over 85mph. Some can hit the early 90s to mid-90s. But you've also got to add skill to that as well."
The England captain reserved special praise for Archer's potential impact: "I'm excited to be able to have him as part of this group. When he gets given an opportunity to influence the game, I know that he'll be flying in and giving absolutely 100% towards that. There's no doubt at some point he's going to make a huge impact on the series."
Support and Expectations
The series marks a significant moment for English cricket fans, with up to 40,000 supporters expected to travel to Australia over the winter – a stark contrast to the pandemic-affected tour four years ago. All will be hoping to witness an end to England's three consecutive winless Ashes tours down under.
Stokes, who recently signed a new two-year contract extending through to the 2027 home Ashes, described this series as the defining moment in a four-year project developed under his aggressive leadership and the positive coaching philosophy of Brendon McCullum.
The England squad for the first Test includes: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Shoaib Bashir as the spin option.
