England great Michael Atherton has laughed off the “stone-cold classic” sledges from Australian media directed towards Ben Stokes.
However, the former Test captain did admit that the side’s Bazball tactics have riled the hosts in recent years, largely stemming from the last Ashes series in 2023.
Stokes touched down in Perth this week as he prepares to lead his side into a five-game series against the Aussies and attempt to lure back the prized urn.
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England captain Ben Stokes Getty
The skipper was spotted at Perth airport on Tuesday and the next morning, The West Australian newspaper plastered Stokes on their front page with a cheeky headline.
“Baz Bawl,” it read.
The subhead was even more brutal: “England’s Cocky Captain Complainer, still smarting from ‘crease-gate’ lands in Perth early thinking dopey BazBall can take the Ashes.”
The paper continued to target Stokes the next two days with headline sledges that read “sitting duck” and “no balls” with photos of the all-rounder training by himself.
The 34-year-old will undoubtedly be one of the key players for England, so it comes as no surprise that anyone with a voice Down Under will be trying to get under his skin.
But according to Atherton, it will be water off a duck’s back for Stokes and company.
“That was a stone-cold classic of a headline,” he told Sky Sports.
Ben Stokes Getty
“I love the fact that it started with ‘New Zealand-born Ben Stokes and all the classic attack lines were in that piece.
“It’s knockabout stuff. Every England team or captain gets it when you get over there, but there is something about Bazball that seems to get under the Australian skin.
“So it’s all par for the course and good fun. England will just have to prove themselves.”
Stuart Broad also saw the funny side of the public dig at his ex-teammate.
“England’s cocky captain complainer… I mean, they’re 50 per cent right with that, because he’s England’s captain,” he said on his podcast, Love Of Cricket.
“I’ve actually seen a message from him with 18-20 laughing faces underneath that headline, which feels like he’s quite relaxed at the minute.”
Stuart Broad has retired from Test cricket Visionhaus/Getty Images
While former players didn’t see an issue with the Stokes-bashing in the lead-up to the series opener, The Sun’s John Etheridge saw it differently.
“Nothing wrong with a bit of knockabout Pommie-bashing fun in the papers. But it needs to be clever, humorous and based loosely on truth,” he said via X.
“This is none of these. It’s just puerile.”
The first Test begins at Optus Stadium on November 21.