'Respect the legends': Ben Stokes' 'has-beens' comment draws ire of former England captain

England Test skipper Ben Stokes’ ‘has-beens’ defence of his side playing only a single warm-up game ahead of The Ashes has not gone down well with former Three Lions captain Michael Vaughan.

England are currently playing England Lions in a three-day warm-up match ahead of the start of The Ashes on November 21.

Vaughan alongside other England greats like Graham Gooch and Ian Botham had questioned Ben Stokes’ side’s preparation ahead of the marquee series. Botham called it “arrogance”, Vaughan had tagged it a “huge risk” while Gooch said it was just “glorified practice”.

When asked about the decision, Stokes had said on Wednesday: “There are quite a few factors that go into why we can’t prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past.”

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“We’re very comfortable with how we prepare because we leave no stone unturned,” the English skipper added.

Vaughan: ‘Respect the legends’

Vaughan, writing in The Telegraph, has heavily criticised Stokes and told him to accept criticism from the legends of the game.

“England have to accept that there will be scrutiny,” wrote Vaughan. “Just because the ‘has-beens’ have a different view does not mean these are not valid comments. England should respect those views.”

“They are coming from legends of the game who can’t play any more because they are too old, but that doesn’t mean they don’t desperately want England to win,” he added. “They are saying these things because they are concerned, and see the risk.”

England are aiming to get their first Test win in Australia since the 2010-11 Ashes. Across the last three away Ashes series, England have lost 13 games while managing to get a couple of draws as their best result.

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With Joe Root in scintillating form, England are expecting a better outing this time around. However, the Three Lions enter The Ashes on the back of a demoralising 0-3 defeat in the ODI series in New Zealand. In their only Test series this World Test Championship cycle, Ben Stokes’ men had to settle for a thrilling 2-2 draw with India at home.