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Ben Stokes reckons he has never been photographed so much. “My sponsors will be happy, because I seem to be in the press every four days,” he joked on the eve of the second Test in Brisbane. The England captain’s scooter ride through the city – no helmet, a technical offence but common enough – made the back pages and underlined how closely the Australian media are tracking every move of this touring party.
England trail 1-0, so the scrutiny was always coming, yet Stokes is determined the players should keep normal life ticking over. “Before we got out here those conversations happened as a group: ‘This is what it is going to be like, so it is not unexpected’,” he said. “When we got here there were cameras in front of the hotel from 8am, following us on the golf course and even when we went out for some lunch yesterday.
“One of the important things on tour when under pressure is to go out, free your mind, enjoy yourself, and whatever is going on in that world, let it be. They are going to be there and film us. The message to the group is please don’t make decisions based on the fact you might get caught on camera. We are human. We need to enjoy countries when we get the opportunity because we live in England where it is miserable, freezing cold and dark at 4pm.”
Stokes sees no problem with the paparazzi so long as the line is not crossed. “It is what it is. It will probably continue throughout the rest of the tour and I don’t see anything wrong with going out and spending your time off on a golf course or having coffee or lunch, riding on a scooter. It’s fine. If they want to keep doing it, they are all polite and don’t intrude on our personal space. We have a job to do, they have a job to do.”
The job now could hardly be tougher. Australia have won 13 of their 14 day-night Tests and, while their solitary defeat with the pink ball came at the Gabba in 2024, England have not taken a Test at this ground since 1986. Michael Clarke, never shy of a straight assessment, put it bluntly: “Australia are going to a venue where they play well,” the former captain told local radio, adding that the Perth win showed how quickly their batters can adapt after a sticky start.
Stokes refuses to indulge in the historical baggage, though he admits the ghosts are hard to ignore. The team hotel, the Sofitel, was the setting for the 2017-18 ‘headbutt’ saga involving Jonny Bairstow and Cameron Bancroft, and for a statement from then-director Andrew Strauss insisting that squad were “not thugs”. Stokes himself was still dealing with the fallout from Bristol at the time.
Yet the current side, led by Brendon McCullum’s more relaxed methods, think those episodes belong firmly in the past. Joe Root called this trip “a fresh crack at Australia” before they flew out, and the coaching staff have tried to keep that mood. Training sessions have been short, fielders encouraged to back their instincts, batters told to stick with aggressive intent even after the Perth defeat.
Selection-wise England are making just one change. Will Jacks steps in for the injured Mark Wood, providing an extra spin option without sacrificing too much pace through the air. The all-rounder was informed by McCullum he had …
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