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Former batting stalwart Andrew Strauss warned Ben Stokes, the England skipper, to be wary of Australia's attempts to get under his skin in the upcoming Ashes, scheduled to commence on Friday at Perth's Optus Stadium.
Stokes will aim to lead England to their first Ashes triumph in Australia since 2010/11, while trying to defy their 13-0 record down under since their last series win. Shots have been fired, jibes have been taken, and players are still being singled out ahead of the much-anticipated series opener. England has been on the radar for their lack of preparation, which consisted of a single three-day warm-up game against the Lions at the Lilac Hill surface in Perth. Stokes shrugged off the criticism from the former England cricketers about their limited groundwork before facing their oldest rival, classifying the complaints as coming from "has-beens". "I think he's phenomenal, Stokesy. I love his approach; I love how clear he is in his thinking, and I love the fact that he really doesn't care what any of us think about what they're doing," Strauss, who captained England to a series win in 2010/11, said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. "He's pushed English Test cricket forward quite a substantial way, alongside [head coach Brendon] McCullum. But he has got vulnerabilities, Stokes. We know he's an emotional guy. And I think the Australians, as a nation, they're going to really try and get under his skin over the course of these five Test matches," Strauss added. Strauss believes Stokes will struggle to soak up what Australia throws at him, but it will be a mentally draining affair for him. According to Strauss, if England get ousted in the first two Tests and end up on the losing side, turning the tide back in favour of the visitors will become a much more intricate affair for Stokes. "As a captain, you need to be able to suck that up and almost show that you're unaffected. I think Stokes is going to find that difficult to do, but what he can do, and what he's done very well in the past, is answer with his performances on the pitch - those incredible, inspired performances, some of England's greatest performances of all time, with bat and ball," Strauss said. "He has the ability to do that, but it's going to be very draining for him, mentally. If England lose a Test match or two early, that's going to be a real challenge for him," Strauss added. England's squad for Ashes: Ben Stokes (captain), Harry Brook (vice-captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood. (ANI)
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