Captain Ben Stokes has defended his team's stance on the Canberra fixture, saying that calling them "arrogant" is "too far". The comment was made by former Australia pace bowler Mitchell Johnson, who called England "cocky Poms" at risk of "serious embarrassment". However, Stokes claimed he accepts the debate around England's stance and admits to making a mistake with his words. He also acknowledged that his team could have been "a lot better" in their performance in Perth.
Stokes said: "Arrogant might be a little bit too far, but that's OK. We'll take the rough with the smooth. I'd rather words like 'rubbish', but 'arrogant', I'm not so sure about that." He explained that the team's decision to play only one three-day match against England Lions was a "slip of the tongue" and that he got his words wrong.
The captain also talked about learning from the team's performance in Perth, saying: "We have identified those moments and spoken about them as a group. In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do? Definitely." Stokes accepted that England lost the first Test but is confident that they can come back strong in the remaining four games.
The debate around England's stance on the Canberra fixture has sparked controversy among cricket fans and former players. However, Stokes remains committed to his team's approach, saying: "We know that there'll be a lot of disappointed fans after that first defeat, but we've lost the first one - we're absolutely desperate to come home with that goal from before we started the series, which is to win the Ashes, and doing absolutely everything within our powers and using our time best to allow us to go out there and try and achieve that goal."
Stokes said: "Arrogant might be a little bit too far, but that's OK. We'll take the rough with the smooth. I'd rather words like 'rubbish', but 'arrogant', I'm not so sure about that." He explained that the team's decision to play only one three-day match against England Lions was a "slip of the tongue" and that he got his words wrong.
The captain also talked about learning from the team's performance in Perth, saying: "We have identified those moments and spoken about them as a group. In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do? Definitely." Stokes accepted that England lost the first Test but is confident that they can come back strong in the remaining four games.
The debate around England's stance on the Canberra fixture has sparked controversy among cricket fans and former players. However, Stokes remains committed to his team's approach, saying: "We know that there'll be a lot of disappointed fans after that first defeat, but we've lost the first one - we're absolutely desperate to come home with that goal from before we started the series, which is to win the Ashes, and doing absolutely everything within our powers and using our time best to allow us to go out there and try and achieve that goal."
Cricket fans are gonna be all over this one - some love Ben's sass, others hate it... honestly, who hasn't made a comment they regret at 3 am? 
The real question is, can they back it up on the pitch? 
. And honestly, who hasn't made a few mistakes with their words or actions at some point? It's all part of the game, right? I mean, even the Aussies are saying they might have been cocky... maybe they're just trying to deflect from their own embarrassment 
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. Like, they're trying to say it was just a "slip of the tongue" but I think Ben Stokes is hiding something behind those calm eyes 
. And what's up with Mitchell Johnson making all these comments? He seems like he's trying to distract us from the real issue... which is that England might actually be trying to make a point about Australia 
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. like stokes said, "we'll take the rough with the smooth" 
- sometimes that means we gotta own up to our mistakes and move on 
. and honestly, what's more important than winning or losing? it's how we learn from those losses that really matters 
. so let's focus on being better for ourselves, not just for others 
. the ashles are a big deal, but at the end of the day, it's about us growing as individuals and teams 
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. I'm all for a bit of banter in cricket, but not when it gets personal and hurtful. Anyways, Stokes seems to be taking it on the chin and learning from their mistakes - that's what leaders do, right? 
. I'm sure that was just a coincidence that they got thrashed in the first Test 
. Anyway, I'm excited to see how this series unfolds and if England can actually pull off their Ashes goals 
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. And honestly, I'm rooting for England to win those Ashes - who doesn't love an underdog story? 
but Captain Stokes says he's okay with being called arrogant 
what's the story behind the one three-day match against England Lions? seems like a weird decision to me... was it just a scheduling thing or something more? 
and what exactly did England do differently in Perth? they lost the first Test, but Stokes says he's confident they can come back strong... that's not exactly reassuring 
he's saying they're not arrogant at all, but 'arrogant' is too harsh lol. i get it tho, he knows what his team means by their statement. and it's actually pretty cool that he owns up to the mistake and says they can do better next time 
But at the same time, I can see where Stokes is coming from - he doesn't want to be accused of being too confident or anything like that... 
And yeah, he did say some pretty blunt stuff about Australia's performance in Perth, so maybe he should own up to saying what he said instead of trying to downplay it? 
Captain Ben Stokes trying to deflect heat 
! I think he has a point tho 
... maybe they shoulda taken it easier 
? 
Calling them "cocky Poms" was low 
and winning the Ashes 
... let's see how they bounce back 
. What really gets me is how some people are making a big deal out of this 
At the end of the day, I think Stokes and his team are just trying to get that Ashes win and make their fans proud 
. I mean, I can see why he might feel that way 
You know, like when we're watching an old Marvel movie and everyone's all like "oh, they're so cheesy!" but really it's still a lot of fun 
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. they're playing for pride now, not just themselves 
. hope they can bounce back strong in perth and the rest of the series