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"I was waking up waiting..": Stokes carries Ashes banter with cheeky dig at Aussie media

Aakash Saini

Ben Stokes [Source: @TheBarmyArmy/x, West Australian]Ben Stokes [Source: @TheBarmyArmy/x, West Australian]

England captain Ben Stokes has called out the Australian newspaper 'The West Australian' over the latter's unwanted criticism of the cricketer. It is worth noting that the Australian daily mockingly described Stokes as "England's Cocky Captain Complainer" on the front page of their headline earlier this month when the cricketer arrived in Australia for the upcoming 2025-26 Ashes Test series.

Ben Stokes is set to lead the English team in the five-match series, starting November 21, at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

Ben Stokes turns to sarcasm to react to Australian daily

While speaking with the reporters ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes series, England captain Ben Stokes reacted to the Western Australian’s controversial headline, where the Australian daily described the cricketer as "England's Cocky Captain Complainer", in reference to the controversial Jonny Bairstow runout incident from the 2023 Ashes series as well as for holding bragging rights to England's belligerent 'BazBall' approach.

The Australian daily also shared a picture of Ben Stokes on their front page, the one where the cricketer can be seen pushing his suitcase outside the airport.

As quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Ben Stokes reacted to the controversial headline by saying:

“It’s unbelievable journalism to get that much information on the front page out of a bloke pushing a suitcase through an airport.”

Ben Stokes also defended longtime teammate Joe Root after the publication called him an "Average Joe". Stokes said:

“I was a bit gutted when they turned their attention over to Rooty, because I was waking up waiting to see what the next headline of me was.”

Ben Stokes was among the earliest of arrivals in Australia among all English players to prepare for the upcoming 2025-26 Ashes series. The cricketer touched down in the country early in November, over two weeks prior to the launch of the first Test.

Under his leadership, England managed to salvage a drawn series against Australia at home a couple of years ago. However, Australia retained the Ashes courtesy of their preceding win at home by a 4-0 margin.

The upcoming fixtures in the 2025-26 Ashes series will also constitute a part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.