Ben Stokes calls upcoming Ashes ‘biggest series’ of his England captaincy

England captain Ben Stokes believes the next two months of Ashes cricket will be the most important series of his career.

The latest instalment in one of sport’s most enduring rivalries begins in Perth on Friday in front of a sell-out 60,000 crowd.

It has been billed as a battle that will define the legacy of the entire ‘Bazball’ era and Stokes accepts the hype is justified.

“I understand what this series means in my journey as England captain,” he said on the eve of the first Test.

“It’s certainly the biggest series I will lead this side in. I’m aware of that. Brendon (McCullum) is aware of that as coach. Rob Key is aware of that in his role (as managing director) as well.

“I understand all the ‘defining series’ stuff. I get it. For me personally it’s not going to detract from what I’ve given to my role as England captain. It’s something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and I wake up every morning loving what I do.

“It’s the greatest honour in English cricket to lead this team out. But I’m desperate to be an Ashes-winning captain.

“It’s been a big build-up, as always, every Ashes series is. When you’re a kid you look and go, ‘I’d love to be there one day’. Now we’re here.”

England have shelved their usual policy of naming their team well in advance and could make their final call just before the toss. All signs have been pointing to a five-strong pace attack fronted by Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, but they have decided to retain the option of utilising spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has been named in a squad of 12.

Stokes and McCullum have made a habit of showing their hand early, and indicated this week that they would do so again, but they will now make a late assessment of the pitch before committing.

“We’ll have the last check on the wicket and see how everyone is,” he said.

The final XI will not be alone when they walk out at Perth Stadium, with huge interest among English fans. Cricket Australia is understood to have sold around 9,000 tickets to UK-based fans, with a strong expat following swelling the number considerably.

Four years ago England’s 4-0 defeat played out to small, socially-distanced crowds with Covid restrictions preventing away supporters from making the journey.

“As players, there’s no doubt we know how excited everyone is for this series. We know we’ve got quite a few English fans coming over,” Stokes said.

“Last time we were out here, obviously there were a few things that were out of our hands in terms of people not being able to come out and support us like they normally would. But I’m really looking forward to seeing what the atmosphere is like.

“We know that we’re obviously going to be outnumbered in terms of people rooting for England and people rooting for Australia, but it’s going to be good fun.

“The Barmy Army go everywhere we go. Over the last couple of days, when we have time off and we try and get out and about, there’s a lot of English people here.”