Everything said in Ben Stokes’ Ashes fallout with former stars as England icon has final say

England captain Ben Stokes has faced heavy criticism after comments made ahead of the Ashes, which the all-rounder has since apologised for.

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Everything you need to know about Ben Stokes’ comments on England’s critics before and during the ongoing Ashes series in Australia, with verdicts from greats such as Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan…

• Ben Stokes initially dismissed critics of England’s Ashes preparation as ‘has-beens’. The comment was made when defending his team’s decision to play only one in-house warm-up match before the first Test in Perth, contrasting with the extensive preparation of past sides.
• Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan were among the former players who strongly questioned that limited preparation. Botham reportedly said the approach ‘borders on arrogance’, while Gooch branded the sole warm-up match as ‘glorified practice’.
• Michael Vaughan also challenged Stokes’ initial ‘has-beens’ remark, defending the former players’ right to critique their strategy. Vaughan stated that just because their views differed, it didn’t mean they were not ‘valid comments’, and England should respect the views of legends of the game.
• Following the reverse in the first Test in Perth, Stokes apologised for his word choice, calling it a ‘slip of the tongue.’ He said, “I got the words I said there completely wrong. I think everyone knows that. ‘Has-beens’ is a horrible word. It’s the only thing that managed to come out of my mouth in that moment.”
• Stokes further acknowledged that he, too, will eventually be an ex-player after retiring from the game. He said: “I’m going to be one of those one day. It’s a complete wrong wording, and I think everyone does know that it’s not at all what I meant by that.”
• Sir Geoffrey Boycott responded to the apology by accepting the regret, but still calling the original remark ‘disrespectful’. Boycott wrote: “To call past players ‘has-beens’ was disrespectful especially as some of those ‘has-beens’ played in teams that won the Ashes in England and Australia.”
• Boycott also urged Stokes’s team to achieve success before dismissing critics – stating they need to go “get the job done.” He added that none of the current players have won the Ashes in Australia, implying they must earn the right to dismiss the views of those who have.
• READ MORE: Ben Stokes branded ‘disrespectful’ by Sir Geoffrey Boycott after ‘half apology’