The Ashes: England will comfortably win the series if Ben Stokes plays every Test, says Mark Ramprakash

Stokes has been the focus of hostilities from the Australian media since his arrival in Perth, with one local newspaper describing him as the “arrogant English captain”.

Stokes and some other England players were also photographed on the golf course on Monday – in an apparent attempt to cast doubt on the team’s preparations.

Stokes County Western Australia coach Ryan Campbell criticized the headlines and questioned the logic of targeting Stokes ahead of the series.

“I was a little nervous about it,” Durham coach Campbell said. “I want WA to put on a good show. I don’t want these things.”

“Everyone wants to say something clever. A lot of it you have to take with a pinch of salt.”

“There are two guys I can’t play against – Ben Stokes and Joe Root.

“They’re the quietest and take it upon themselves to give back on a large scale. Choose your targets a little better.”

Stokes has already produced a number of iconic Ashes moments, starting with a century in his second Test against Australia in Perth during the 2013-14 tour.

Most famous was his exceptional match-winning century at Headingley in 2019, and spinner Jack Leach – his final batting partner that day – said he was inspired by Australia’s aggression during that knock.

“[David] “Warner was coming at him,” Leach said.

” He said [at the end of day three] “I’m not leaving this field until we win the game” and I was really excited. And obviously he ended up doing that.”

Leach added:[Root] He does it in a calmer way. Deep down, he has a great motivation for it.

“There’s been a lot of talk about him not scoring in Australia, so he’ll be involved with a lot to prove.”