Skipper calls on his England side to claim their own place in series pantheon on Australian soil

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Nov-20251:17

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Ben Stokes wants to join the “lucky few captains” to return home with the Ashes and has called on his England side to create their own history in Australia.Friday’s opener in Perth will be the start of a mission to regain the urn for the first time since 2015. The task at hand is put into context by the 13-0 scoreline across the previous three tours, even with the Australians shorn of two of their stellar bowling attack with skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the first match. They may also feature two debutants in fast bowler Brendan Doggett and opening batter Jake Weatherald.Sir Andrew Strauss was the last of five captains to succeed Down Under since the Second World War, overseeing the 3-1 success in 2010-11. Now 15 years on, Stokes is angling to not only join Strauss as the sixth but become only the second since Ray Illingworth to reclaim the Ashes from Australia. It would also be Stokes’ first win in a five-match series in four attempts, the first of which was a 2-2 draw in the 2023 home Ashes.Related

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“I’ve come here absolutely desperate to get home on that plane in January as one of the lucky few captains from England who have come here and been successful,” said Stokes. “Personally, I do understand how big a series this is but it’s not putting any more effort into this one than I have done any other series I’ve been captain.”Stokes, as he has done throughout his tenure as captain, is keen to shield his players from any unnecessary outside pressure. On Wednesday, for instance, he and head coach Brendon McCullum named a 12-man squad featuring Shoaib Bashir.It felt like the delaying of the inevitable all-pace attack England are keen to unleash at the Optus Stadium, with Mark Wood available for selection after suffering from a tight hamstring last week. England could of course draft from outside that dozen if, say, Wood suffers a setback between now and the start of the Test to maintain a five-quick set-up.A further example was Stokes’ response when asked if the squad needed to stay grounded rather than consider the sporting “immortality” that comes with winning an away Ashes series: “I can’t say we are going to be immortal because we all die, don’t we?”Ben Stokes and Joe Root train at Lilac Hill in Perth•Getty ImagesStokes, along with Wood, Joe Root, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, as the only previous Ashes tourists, have been clueing up the rest on what they should expect. But he ceded it would not be right if they did not let themselves feel the energy around the series, and indeed Perth, and confront the scale of what lies before them.”Everyone in the world, everyone in Australia, everyone in England knows how big this series is,” Stokes said. “If we were to come out and not accept that and go on that as just another series, then we’d only be lying to ourselves and lying to the fact of what this series is. In particular this team, for myself, Brendan and for Rob (Key) and facing what that feels like, looking it in the eyes, taking it on, not being afraid of the challenge that we have ahead of us.”We know it’s a huge task coming to Australia and everything that comes with that away from the field, on the field. It is a huge two-and-a-half months for us. Rather than playing it down and not really accepting this moment for what it is, I think maybe we would not really understand what the moment is. So yeah – putting it all out there, letting everyone know the expectations of what it’s going to be like in particular because we’ve got a squad here who have come in and are experiencing Australia for the first time.”

“I want to eke everything out of this body I can and I will do that in an England shirt.”Ben Stokes

Stokes himself will be making his return to action, having not played a competitive match since the fourth Test against India at Emirates Old Trafford. After taking a five-wicket haul and scoring a century in the first two innings, he suffered a grade three muscle tear in his right shoulder in the fourth innings of the match, ruling him out of the decider which India won to earn a 2-2 draw.The last four months have been used to not just recover from the injury – which did not require surgery – but reinforce his body and top-up his skills. Dedicating himself to rehab was easy enough, having already ruled himself out of The Hundred campaign with Northern Superchargers that followed the India series, and all-but retired from white-ball internationals.While rebuilding in the shadows – he did not post any updates on social media, as he had done when rehabbing from his two hamstring tears – he signed a two-year extension to his central contract, which takes him through to 2027’s home Ashes.”[It was] very easy,” said Stokes of the decision to commit to a further two years. “I want to eke everything out of this body I can and I will do that in an England shirt.”

Nottingham Forest are now keen on a January move for a Champions League defender, amid doubts over the future of Murillo.

Murillo's future at the City Ground up in the air

It recently emerged that Murillo has now become Barcelona’s top target, with Evangelos Marinakis willing to cash-in on the Brazilian for £53m, and journalist Pete O’Rourke has also named Premier League rivals Chelsea as potential suitors.

With the centre-back contracted until 2029, Forest are in a strong negotiating position, but there is certainly no shortage of interest in his services, with Mikel Arteta a big fan, and Arsenal have also now identified the 23-year-old as a top target.

Although results have improved under Sean Dyche, the Tricky Trees are still very much in a relegation battle as things stand, so it would be a risk to sell one of their key players this winter, but it would not be a surprise if the defender has his head turned, amid interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

According to a report from Football Insider, Chelsea could make a big-money move for Murillo when the January transfer window opens, and Nottingham Forest are now keen on signing Inter Milan defender Stefan De Vrij, whose future at the San Siro is in doubt.

De Vrij’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and having not received much game time, he could be open to a move this winter, with a place in the Netherlands’ 2026 World Cup squad at stake.

Forest have set out to sign a new centre-back in January, with Dyche personally keen on bringing in new additions more suited to his style of play.

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ByEthan Lamb Nov 27, 2025 De Vrij would arrive at Forest with wealth of top-level experience

With the 33-year-old’s contract due to expire next summer, he could plausibly be available for a low fee, and the £117k-a-week defender’s vast top-level experience could be invaluable for Forest in their bid to avoid relegation and compete in Europe.

The Dutchman has 77 caps to his name for the Netherlands, while also making 48 appearances in the Champions League and 14 in the Europa League, and he was recently singled out for high praise from compatriot Rafael Van der Vaart.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder said: “In the air, he can clear those four balls from the goal, and he always stays calm. I’ve come to appreciate him immensely. Usually, I prefer a player with more style, but he doesn’t make mistakes.”

Given his age, De Vrij wouldn’t be a viable long-term replacement for Murillo, and Forest should look to hold onto the Brazil international for as long as possible, but he could be a savvy addition to the squad on a short contract, with an option to extend.

Sitting out injured when RCB lifted the IPL trophy was frustrating, but he’s returned to action with his eyes firmly set on “high ambitions”

Srinidhi Ramanujam08-Sep-2025It’s been a stop-start year-and-a-half for Devdutt Padikkal. There was a Test debut in March last year and a second cap in Perth in November. He began 2025 with a century and an 86 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and enjoyed a successful homecoming in the IPL with consistent scores for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). But just as he really seemed to be hitting his stride, with back-to-back match-winning half-centuries against Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals, a hamstring injury ruled him out of the rest of the season, forcing him to watch from the outside as RCB won their first-ever title. The injury also kept him out of contention for India A’s tour of England in May-June.It was only this week that Padikkal returned to top-level domestic cricket, and he did so with a solid 57 for South Zone against North Zone in the semi-final of the Duleep Trophy. The innings came at a handy time, with Padikkal part of the India A squad for two unofficial home Tests against Australia A starting September 16 in Lucknow.”It [this tournament] was very important,” Padikkal tells ESPNcricinfo. “I haven’t played much red-ball cricket for some time now. So coming into this game, I knew that I needed to make sure that I was getting back into the groove of things. I am really happy that I was able to spend some time out there and get a few runs.”Related

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Padikkal walked out to bat when South Zone were 103 for 1 on the second session of day one, with the seamers still finding a little bit of movement at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He looked confident from the get-go, driving elegantly through the covers, cutting behind square for a pair of boundaries, and pushing the ball down the ground with ease. He raced to his half-century in just 64 balls, and hit seven fours before chasing a wide delivery and nicking Anshul Kamboj to the keeper.By his own admission, Padikkal was playing “too many shots”, likely a carry-over from his recent stint in the Maharaja Trophy (Karnataka’s T20 tournament), where he was the Player of the Tournament for his chart-topping 449 runs in 12 innings for Hubli Tigers, including an unbeaten 99.”That’s the frustrating part,” Padikkal says of his dismissal. “It’s just a moment of lapse of concentration, which probably is more down to the fact that I have played very little red-ball cricket over the last few months. So that’s something that I need to work on.”Obviously, coming from T20 cricket directly here, I felt like I was playing a few too many shots, even in the first innings. Which is something that I need to think about a little bit. And hopefully, going into the A series, I can work on that.”A hamstring injury cut short a promising IPL season for Padikkal•BCCIJudging by his approach in the second innings, he already seems to have done so. On the final morning, South Zone took five quick wickets to bowl North Zone out for 361, securing a crucial first-innings lead and a place in the final. When Padikkal joined N Jagadeesan, the pair swapped roles from the first innings, during which the latter had crafted a 352-ball 197. Jagadeesan, a picture of patience during that innings, hit a flurry of boundaries now to reach his fifty off just 60 balls. Padikkal, meanwhile, finished unbeaten on 16 off 54 balls, hitting just the one four.Padikkal admitted that the months away from the game were some of the hardest he’s gone through, particularly as a local boy watching RCB lift the IPL trophy without him.”Obviously, the first couple of weeks were the hardest,” he says. “Because you have to come to terms [with the fact] that you are not going to be playing much cricket for a month or so. And especially watching the IPL from home was a bit challenging.”I would have loved to be a part of that side, winning the trophy. That is the first couple of weeks and after that, again, you just switch into that zone of trying to get better.”During rehab, it gives you a lot of time to just focus on yourself in terms of what you need to work on. Because during a season, it is very hard to really give that time to yourself to look at the specific areas that you need to work on. So during my rehab, I was just looking to find things that I struggled with during the season physically and in terms of my technique, and trying to see how I can make that adjustment going into the next season.”So, I feel I used that very well during those couple of months. I am really happy where I am at now.”After the Duleep Trophy final, Padikkal’s next assignment is an unofficial Test series for India A against Australia A•PTI Now back in the India A set-up, Padikkal isn’t just looking to make up for lost time but hoping to make a statement. With two home Test series on the horizon – India are playing two Tests each against West Indies in October and South Africa in November – he knows he could get an opportunity if he stays consistent.”You know, every game that you play, especially for India, is very important,” he says. “We have a few home Test series coming up. I’m looking forward to making a mark in the A series to hopefully stake a claim for that team as well. But at the same time, you have to just go out there and bat.”I really enjoyed batting here in red-ball cricket. And just more opportunities to play red-ball cricket are always welcome.”For all the ups and downs, the ambition remains intact. After earning his Test cap, Padikkal doesn’t want to dwell on milestones with his eyes firmly set on the long haul.”I wouldn’t say life’s changed [since the Test debut],” he says. “Obviously, playing Test cricket for India is one of the biggest achievements you can have as a cricketer. But at the same time, I have high ambitions. So just playing or just making my debut is not what my career is going to be about.”Hopefully, I can continue to represent India at the highest level and continue to win games for them. That’s always been my aim. It was a great feeling on that day. But from the next day, it’s about getting back on the ground again.”

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