Botham Renews Criticism of Stokes Over Ashes Defeat

Former England all-rounder Ian Botham has renewed his criticism of retired captain Ben Stokes over England's preparation and conduct during the team's 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia last winter. Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 18, 2026, Botham defended his earlier remarks and questioned Stokes' handling of the final months of his captaincy.

The dispute centers on England's limited preparation before the series, off-field drinking sessions, and breaches of team curfews. According to Sky Sports, England played only two and a half days of cricket before facing Australia in Perth, prompting criticism from former players.

Botham, who scored 5,200 runs and took 383 wickets in 102 Tests, revisited the disagreement while promoting his book, Seasons. He also discussed Stokes' decision to resign as captain during a home Test against New Zealand, a series in which Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket in June 2026.

Botham said he disagreed with Stokes' departure from the captaincy and continued to defend his assessment of England's preparation.

"You have got a situation, starting from the beginning when he had a go at myself and Michael Vaughan in Melbourne because we said they had not prepared properly. They played two and a half days of cricket in the build-up to taking on Australia in Perth." Botham said, according to Sky Sports.

Stokes had previously challenged the criticism, arguing that England's preparation involved a longer-term approach rather than just the weeks immediately before the tour. He also pointed to differences between the circumstances facing his team and those experienced by earlier generations.

"We've not been preparing for this tour over the last three weeks, we've put a lot of thought and process into this for a few years now. There's quite a few factors that play into why we can't prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past." Stokes said in response to journalists during the Ashes dispute.

Despite his continued criticism, Botham acknowledged Stokes' ability as a player while arguing that his behavior during the closing months of the tour had damaged his standing. England's 4-1 series loss included two defeats that left the team 2-0 behind, with one match ending in two days, according to Botham's remarks reported by Sky Sports.

"He's a bloody good cricketer and he played well, but he let himself down in those final couple of months." Botham said, as reported by Sky Sports.

Botham also addressed the drinking controversy that followed England's tour, including a break in Noosa. He said team curfews had been established but were not observed, adding to his concerns about the players' conduct during the series.

He also explained how the dispute resurfaced through a passage in his book, which referred to Stokes as a member of the group of former players he had criticized. Botham said he was unconcerned about the reaction to the remark.

"In the book, I just said that right at the end, a throw away line, 'Well, well, well, Ben Stokes, you are now a member of the has-been team'. Didn't go down too well, not that I'm bothered." Botham said, according to the Indian Express.

Botham contrasted the controversy with his own experiences touring Australia. He was part of England teams that won series there in 1978-79 and 1986-87, including the 2-1 victory in 1986-87, when players visited wineries between matches.

"That's out of visual and we were actually winning, so we could have paraded ourselves around a bit if we wanted, but we didn't." Botham said, according to Sky Sports.

England has since moved on from Stokes' leadership, with Harry Brook taking over as Test captain under head coach Stephen Fleming, according to WION's October 20 report.