England captain Ben Stokes has strongly defended his team's preparation strategy ahead of the crucial day-night Pink Ball Test at Brisbane's Gabba, insisting the squad has completely moved on from their crushing eight-wicket defeat in the first Ashes Test at Perth.
Moving Forward From Perth Nightmare
The visiting English team suffered a dramatic collapse in the first Test, losing nine wickets before Tea on Day 2 after initially taking a 49-run lead. This paved the way for Australia's Travis Head to play what Stokes described as an 'amazing knock' - a blistering 69-ball century that helped the hosts chase down the modest 205-run target in just 28.2 overs.
'We've talked about it and we've moved on. We had some good conversations around the group,' Stokes stated during his press conference in Brisbane ahead of the second Test starting Thursday, November 29, 2025.
While acknowledging Head's exceptional performance, the England captain emphasized that it wasn't the sole reason for their defeat. 'Look, Travis played an amazing knock, there's no hiding away from that. But that's not the overriding contribution as to why we didn't end up getting the result,' he explained.
Identifying Positives and Learning Opportunities
Stokes pointed to several positive aspects from the Perth encounter that the team can build upon. 'The way that we bowled in the first innings ... and we ended up putting a score on the board that we believed was definitely defendable,' he recalled.
However, the England skipper admitted there were missed opportunities. 'But we all know there were moments in that game where we could have been a lot better to help us gain even more of an advantage that we did have,' Stokes acknowledged, adding that 'the important thing that you need to do from that as a team and as individuals is learning from that.'
Controversial Preparation Strategy Defended
England now faces the daunting challenge of squaring the five-match series against Australia, the undisputed masters of pink-ball cricket who have won an impressive 13 out of 14 day-night Test matches under lights.
The England management's decision to opt out of a two-day day-night practice match against a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra has drawn significant criticism, particularly from former Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan who labeled the move as 'amateurish' and said he was 'staggered' by the decision.
Stokes defended the controversial preparation choice, explaining that the team prioritized extra training sessions in Brisbane instead. 'There's where it is, it's in Canberra, which is a different state. The weather conditions are obviously going to be completely different to what we've got coming up,' he reasoned.
The England captain elaborated on their decision-making process: 'So what you try and do is you try and take all the factors into consideration, the pros, the cons, whatever it may be, and then you always discuss that and decide what is it that we think is going to be our best preparation.'
Stokes concluded with confidence in their approach, stating: 'We know that we are doing everything that we can to make sure that we are best prepared for this game.' As the teams head into the Pink Ball Test at the formidable Gabba, all eyes will be on whether England's unconventional preparation pays off against Australia's dominant day-night record.
