NEW DELHI: England captain Ben Stokes has hit back at criticism over his team’s lack of warm-up matches ahead of the Ashes, insisting they’ve “done everything possible” to prepare.

The Ashes opener is set for November 21 in Perth. England’s only warm-up will be an internal three-day clash against the England Lions

The decision to skip traditional tour matches has sparked debate, with former greats like Ian Botham, Ian Healy and Geoffrey Boycott saying England could be undercooked.

Also READ: 'Groundsmen stick to...": Mitchell Starc urges spicy pitches ahead of Ashes 2025-26

‘We’ve planned everything carefully, Stokes

England captain Ben Stokes has insisted that his team’s preparation for the upcoming Ashes series will be more than enough, even with a restricted schedule and no traditional tour matches.

“There's obviously state cricket going on at the moment,” Stokes said on Wednesday. “Time has got to be taken into consideration as well. Some of our squad members were playing the white-ball series in New Zealand.” England was swept 3-0 by New Zealand in that ODI series.

Stokes highlighted how cricket’s packed calendar makes preparing for a five-Test series more challenging than in previous decades. “We put a lot of time and effort into how we prepare for every series, and that hasn't changed with this one,” he said. “Come the 21st of this month, we know that we would have done everything possible that we could have done.”

He also backed Joe Root, the No. 1-ranked Test batter and second-highest scorer of all time in the format, who has not scored a century in 14 Tests in Australia. “He's the greatest English batter that the nation has seen. He's been in phenomenal form over the last two, three years. He's not come out here to score a 100 in Australia, he's come out here to contribute to the team,” Stokes said.

Stokes emphasised that playing in Australia comes with unique challenges. “Coming to Australia for the Ashes is a lot different than anything else when you're playing. There's a lot more that goes on away from the cricket itself,” he said.

Most of Australia’s Ashes players are tuning up in domestic first-class matches this week, but some concerns have emerged. Fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott had to leave New South Wales’ game against Victoria for medical scans.

Australia updates

Australia captain Pat Cummins, who will miss the first Test due to a back injury, offered an optimistic update on Hazlewood’s fitness. “They both got scans. I haven’t 100% got across all the details, but I think Joshy was pretty chipper when he got out, so hopefully he should be fine. We are a week away from the Test series, and you always err on the side of caution,” Cummins said.

The Ashes series will begin with the first Test in Perth from November 21 to 25, followed by a day-night Test at the Gabba in Brisbane starting December 4. The remaining Tests will be played in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.

(With PTI Inputs)