Ben Stokes claims his comments were a slip of the tongue - Reuters/Asanka Brendon RatnayakeGeoffrey BoycottMon, December 1, 2025 at 6:30 AM UTC·5 min readEngland can beat Australia in Brisbane. Man for man, they are more talented than the Aussies but it doesn’t help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button.
Nobody is asking the players to stop being positive because they have given us some marvellous, thrilling and entertaining cricket. All we ask is for them to use their brains and realise there are times when they should throttle back and be aware of situations and bat accordingly. These Australians are not unbeatable but our England team keeps giving them ways back into the game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen the great golfer Jack Nicklaus was asked which was his favourite golf club, he pointed to his head. It’s what goes on upstairs that matters. It’s too late to be making adjustments to technique and anyway, it is no good talking to Zak Crawley about technique because he hasn’t got one. You want the guys upbeat and ready for the fight.
At this stage, it won’t help to point out their faults or put negative thoughts in their heads, so they daren’t play any strokes. Just think on your feet and don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again. That is not smart. At this level, nobody should have to tell a batsman how to bat, which shots not to play. If a player cannot work it out for himself, then they should find a replacement. England threw away the Ashes in England in 2024 with reckless, stupid batting, so don’t do the same again.
Our seam bowlers and captain also need to take stock of their performances so far. Learn from Perth and pitch the ball up another two or three feet. If the Brisbane pitch is bouncy don’t get excited and sucked into banging the ball in short with a fair number of bouncers. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland got their wickets pitching the ball up. That does not mean bowling half volleys.
And I hope someone has got to the bottom of why Jofra Archer was down on pace on only the second day. He is England’s main weapon when he bowls at full throttle. His pace and bounce can unsettle any batsman but when he drops to fast medium a huge threat to the opposition has disappeared. He has to bowl at express pace in short spells. Is he underprepared for third and fourth spells?
Jofra Archer and England’s bowling attack looked tired and had little answer to Travis Head’s brilliant counter-punch in Perth - Reuters/Asanka Brendon RatnayakeAt times Stokes has set some innovative fields but when Travis Head was tonking our bowlers to all parts at Perth he was nowhere to be seen. Bowlers don’t need a captain when they are bowling well but when a batsman gets on top of a bowler that’s when some advice would help. Their brain gets scrambled and it can be a lonely place trying to work out what to do.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAll the England bowlers were getting whacked and that was the time for Ben to take some pressure off and give them clear instructions on what and where to bowl. To me, they were left to their own devices and got a real shellacking. Not good.
No England team has lost the first two Test matches in Australia and then won the next three to win the Ashes so to lose in Brisbane would leave England with a colossal mountain to climb.
A day-night pink ball Test can be a lottery. Batting in daylight on a good pitch is straight forward but under lights there can be moments when the ball zips around for the seamers and batsmen have to hunt the ball. Occasionally there is dew and the seamers cannot grip the ball properly so you are never sure what is going to happen. That adds spice and uncertainty to the whole proceedings.
When a team lose so badly in Perth from a winning position, there is bound to be huge criticism from the media. The response from England has been to close ranks with a siege mentality that everyone is against them. That is not true. We don’t enjoy watching you embarrass yourselves and lose. We want England to win. Ex-players, TV, radio and journalists can’t say good things about bad cricket. It is just not possible. Being forthright and honest about what we see is not a choice. That is what is expected of us.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEngland were convinced they had the right preparation and could win back the Ashes. So it is simple: Play better and win.
England opted to train in Brisbane instead of playing a pink-ball tour match in Canberra - Getty Images/Matt RobertsMy advice to Ben
A piece of advice to Stokes about his “has-beens” remark when referring to ex-players. Ben is right that today’s cricket is different but he forgets that cricket has always evolved. In 30 or 50 years’ time, there will be new innovations which at the moment we cannot envisage. But that doesn’t mean some things in the past are not still relevant today.
That is why people in Asia respect their elders for the knowledge they have gained and from that knowledge, they can give wise counsel to a discussion. If you are prepared to listen to the ex-players, there may be some things the modern player can use in the modern format. You don’t have to agree with everything the past great players say but as Richie Benaud once said to me “you can learn something every day”. Being stubborn can be a virtue, but if you are so intractable that you never listen and it is your way or the highway, then there is bound to be a fall.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTo call past players “has-beens” was disrespectful especially as some of those “has-beens” played in teams that won the Ashes in England and Australia. I am glad Ben has half apologised, saying it was a slip of the tongue, because none of this team have won the Ashes in Australia. Get the job done, because then you don’t need to say anything and you can bask in all the glory coming your way.
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