- England cricket captain Ben Stokes dismissed criticism from former players regarding the team's Ashes warm-up schedule.
- Stokes defended the decision for a single three-day in-house match against an England Lions XI, citing the changed landscape of cricket and packed schedules.
- He assured that the internal game, starting on Thursday at Perth’s Lilac Hill, would be a full-intensity "balls to the wall" affair as he vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in England’s Ashes preparations.
- The warm-up will mark Stokes' return to competitive action after a shoulder injury in July, and pace bowler Mark Wood's comeback from knee surgery.
- Stokes also brushed off a "Captain Cocky Complainer" headline from the Australian media, stating he found the pre-Ashes hype "quite funny".
IN FULL
Ben Stokes hits back at ‘has-beens’ Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan after Ashes criticism
