Overview:
Stokes remarked that this tour offers his team a genuine chance to achieve something historic in Australia.
Ben Stokes said he is eager to join the few England captains who have won the Ashes in Australia. Only three visiting skippers have achieved success in the last 50 years, with Andrew Strauss being the last in 2010–11.
In the previous Ashes series, Ben Stokes handled the captaincy admirably, with England nearly on course to win the urn before rain ruined the final Test in Manchester, leaving the contest levelled at 2-2. Under his leadership, England have played 37 Tests, winning 22 of them, and only two have finished as draws.
While speaking to reporters, the all-rounder admitted that the upcoming tour of Australia will be a significant challenge for both him and the squad over the next seven weeks.
“I’ve arrived here with a real hunger to return home in January as one of the few England captains who came to Australia and achieved success,” Stokes said while speaking to the media in Perth.
“We’re fully aware of how big the challenge is when you come to Australia, both on the field and off the field. The next two and a half months are going to be massive for us,” he added.
Stokes remarked that this tour offers his team a genuine chance to achieve something historic in Australia. He admitted that an Ashes series down under is above all the others he has captained and will attract far more attention and focus than any previous series in which he has led.
“This is our chance to write our own history, and it’s on us to decide what that will look like,” he mentioned.
“I’m always motivated for every Test series I take part in, but I’m aware that this one is above all.”
The Ashes series will kick off in Perth, with the first Test starting on November 21. Stokes made a strong first impression in Australia when he hit a memorable 120 at the WACA in 2013, and he later grabbed eight wickets in the final Test of a series. Overall, in 24 Tests against Australia, he has scored 1562 runs and taken 41 wickets.