Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine has called out Ben Stokes’ comments that were part of a team rev-up during the 2023 Ashes series.
Stokes told his English Test line-up that their actions would live ‘forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play’.
His comments were revealed in a new English Cricket Board documentary series on the 2023 Ashes, where the skipper addresses his side in the rooms during the washed-out Old Trafford Test.
England captain Ben Stokes. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
“You’re coming dead last in the World Test Championship. You’re not going to be a team that everyone remembers watching and you’re not doing anything outrageously good that we haven’t seen before,” Paine told SEN.
Australia were closing on a 2-1 lead heading into the final Test at the Oval – where England were staring at a loss on home soil. Stokes was frustrated with oncoming poor weather in a Test where England couldn’t produce a result – but went on to tell his men that their performance was not in vain.
“Everything we’ve done up until now isn’t going to stop because we haven’t managed to win the urn back,” Stokes said.
“The reward for our work isn’t what we get, but what we become.
“And what we have managed to do is, we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket.”
Paine was gobsmacked by Stokes’ preacher like comments, saying the captain was overly optimistic and wrong to admit ‘BazBall’ style cricket has positively changed their game.
“Oh, mate, I don’t know, I think it was taken slightly out of context because he was talking in a changing room and it was a bigger speech, so I will say that,” Paine said.
“However, it’s just this continued belief that they’re completely changing the game and they’re doing this amazing stuff and everyone’s going to remember it … they’re not.
“You’re an average cricket team. (Actually) you’re at the moment, a below-average cricket team and I think they need to get their head around that a little bit.”
Stokes’ comments went viral, which Fox Cricket jumped on to – releasing a graphic of his quote on X. Stokes replied to the tweet, writing “Said this to the team who had watched it rain for 2 days when we had our foot on your throats, just tried to cheer up the disappointment tbh, but anyways rent free and all that.”
Paine found Stokes’ retort rather odd, saying he thinks the English cricket team like in a “weird, strange world”.
“Then secondly, when he replies back on X, I’m not sure who he thinks he’s actually talking to,” Paine said.
“It says, ‘We had our foot on your throats for two days, rent-free and all that’. You’re talking to Fox Cricket production. That’s not the Australian cricket team that you’re talking to.
“You didn’t have your foot on the throats of the Fox Cricket production … I don’t think you’re living rent-free in any of the Australian cricketers’ minds.
“You’re talking to a TV production. I found it quite strange that he went back at them because it would be like me going back at Sky Sports.
“It’s just strange. Anyway, each to their own as they say.”