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Stokes says England player welfare his main priority
Khaleej Times
|December 25, 2025
An emotional England captain Ben Stokes on Wednesday said the mental well-being of his players was his main priority heading into the last two matches of the Ashes series.
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The England players have come in for heavy criticism since Australia wrapped up an 82-run win in the third Test in Adelaide on Sunday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series and retain the urn.
Media and social media reports of some players taking a “Stag Party” attitude to a trip to the Queensland resort of Noosa between the second and third Tests have only added to that weight of pressure.
Team director Rob Key on Tuesday promised to look into reports of excessive drinking in Noosa and Stokes said it had all left him with a big job to do in his role as the protector of the players.
This story is from the December 25, 2025 edition of Khaleej Times.
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