England’s Test captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes has defended the national team’s training styles amidst a storm of criticism following their disastrous run in white-ball cricket and another slump in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.
England’s training methods, with golf outings during the India tour, have been criticized by many and blamed for their poor performances across the formats. The buzz began during their 50-over series in India when images and reports of players hitting golf courses between matches.
After losing both the T20I and ODI series to India, England crashed out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the group stage, which sparked outrage among fans and former cricketers. Many former English cricketers accused the players of not taking the game seriously.
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However, Stokes has now come out in support of his team. The star all-rounder insisted that the public and media don’t see the full picture, saying their work ethic and training methods are misunderstood by the critics. He dismissed criticism that the team prioritizes golf over cricket.
Responding to recent backlash after England’s poor form, Stokes called it “utter rubbish” and emphasized that their hard work often goes unnoticed. He insisted that the England team’s, whether Test or white-ball teams, work ethic is incredible.
There are reasons as to why we do things: Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes said on Sky Sports, “When you hear comments saying we don’t train hard enough, we’re more bothered about golf, and we don’t work hard enough, it’s just complete and utter [rubbish]."
"You’re not going to be able to be an international sportsman for a long period of time if you don’t have a work ethic, and everyone that walks into the Test team, the white-ball team, their work ethic is incredible.”
The England star explained that every activity, even outside the field, has a purpose, saying the team management just tries to reduce pressure and keep players mentally ready.
Stokes further explained, “They’re professional athletes; it’s their job. There are reasons as to why we do things in the way that we do it, and those reasons are for us to speak about together in the dressing room."
"There is a reason for everything that we do. What we try and do is take any extra added pressure off the shoulders of people. When you see us doing certain things that people might think, Why are we doing that?” there’s a reason as to why we do it”.
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Ben Stokes confident to return as an all-rounder
England will kick off their new WTC cycle with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe. This match will set the tone for a busy season ahead, where they’ll take on India and Australia in 10 tests.
Ben Stokes, who missed action for nearly four months due to a hamstring injury, is ready to return as an all-rounder and lead from the front in the busy home season.
He signed off by saying, “In terms of my role as a player, that full seamer, batting at six, trying to dominate every situation I find myself whether I’ve got a bat or ball in my hand, is what I want to get back to doing out on the field, on the biggest stage. I know I’ve done it before; it’s something I’m very confident I can do.”
"It's just complete and utter..." ‼️England captain Ben Stokes defends his team-mates against criticism of their preparation ?️Watch the full interview with Ben Stokes on Sky Sports Cricket and the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel at 7pm ? pic.twitter.com/dpn0KB2dk8
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) May 15, 2025
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