The Ashes 2025-26: Ben Stokes must ‘respect’ former players, says Michael Vaughan

England are seeking their first win on Australian soil since the 2010-11 season, with many believing Stokes’ side have their best chance of success since that trip.

Former England assistant Paul Farbrace dismissed the idea that Stokes was “disrespectful” and said his words were a message to his team to block out outside noise.

“Everything Ben Stokes says, forget the noise, forget everything that’s going on,” Farbrace told BBC Sport.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a great English player or a great Australian player, let them have their say, it doesn’t really matter.

“Ben is not being disrespectful.

“He has great respect for all the greats who came before him. Don’t worry about the way Ben said it.”

Farbrace was part of officiating the 2017-18 tour when England played four warm-up matches against home teams and lost the Test series 4-0.

He said the hierarchy then reflected that they would have been better served by a similar reinforcement to the one scheduled this year.

He added: “Don’t be fooled into thinking that the English team is not ready.

“I understand the thoughts of the former players but let’s support our team.

“Let’s do something that’s usually un-English and support our team instead of giving them the kick before the series starts.”

Former captain David Gower, a teammate of Botham and Gooch, was part of England’s victorious 1986-87 tour – their only other win in Australia since the 1970s.

“I hate to say it, somewhere in between is the right solution,” Gower told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I’m not in favor of playing three full games. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

“These days they don’t worry about it in the same way, they kind of go back and say ‘Tomorrow is a Test match, turn the switch and turn on all the burners’.

“It’s all about peaking in that moment.

“Inevitably it will work for some and not for others. As long as seven or eight out of 11 are somewhere near the peak, you have a chance.”