Ben Stokes has said he “got it completely wrong” with his now-infamous “has-been” remark, admitting he regrets the phrasing and accepts responsibility for inflaming criticism of England after their bruising two-day defeat against Australia in last weekend's Ashes Test in Perth.
The England captain, speaking for the first time since the opening Test collapse, acknowledged that his words helped feed perceptions of arrogance surrounding his side, even as he rejected claims that England carried themselves with an inflated sense of importance.
Stokes’ concession comes amid sustained scrutiny of his team’s preparation and performance in the aftermath of Australia’s eight-wicket win in the Ashes curtain-raiser.
England squandered a commanding position and were bowled out twice in fewer than 70 overs, and their subsequent decision not to send any of the Perth XI to Canberra for a pink-ball fixture only intensified the backlash.
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Former fast bowler Mitchell Johnson branded them “arrogant” and “cocky Poms”, warning they were courting “serious embarrassment”.
Stokes, however, drew a line between legitimate criticism and what he believes to be unfair claims about attitude.
“You can call us rubbish, call us whatever you want. We didn’t have the Test match that we wanted to,” he 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.”
Five things to know about the Ashes | PAThe England captain admitted that part of the storm had been created by his own verbal misstep before the warm-up match against the England Lions, when he referred to sceptical former captains as “has-beens”.
That comment, inevitably, was swiftly seized upon.
“Everyone knows it was a slip of the tongue,” he said.
“I got the words I said there completely wrong. I think everyone knows that.
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| REUTERS"‘Has-beens’ is a horrible word. It’s the only thing that managed to come out of my mouth in that moment. I’m going to be one of those one day. It’s a complete wrong wording.”
Stokes spoke as England began their preparations in Brisbane for the second Test, which will start on December 4 at the Gabba.
Persistent rain curtailed training at Allan Border Field, while Mark Wood, the only absentee from the optional session, is set to miss the Test after a recurrence of a left-knee issue.
Three squad members who did not feature in Perth - Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts - have joined the Lions for the Canberra match.
The decision not to send any front-line players to the capital has been criticised by Michael Vaughan and Jonathan Agnew, though defended by Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart.
Stokes said England took into account the pitch, conditions and team morale before opting against making the three-hour journey.
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| REUTERS“We have a pink-ball match coming up in Brisbane, and we have an opportunity to play some pink-ball cricket,” he said.
“But there’s obviously a lot more to it than just that. You take all the factors into consideration… We had to go away and ask how we use these next few days wisely.”
England had been well placed at 65 for one in their second innings in Perth, leading by 105, before collapsing in a flurry of loose attacking strokes.
Stokes conceded his side should have been more precise.
“In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do? Definitely,” he said. “Sometimes when you go out there and make a decision, it doesn’t always pay off.”
Despite the disappointment, Stokes insisted England remain united in their aim to regain the Ashes and says they're 'absolutely desperate' to reign supreme next time out.