Former England batter Mark Ramprakash has dialled up the Ashes hype, insisting Ben Stokes’ team will beat Australia “quite comfortably” this winter - but only if their captain is fit enough to play a full part in the series.
His claim comes as England continue preparations for the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia, a tour where they are desperate to end a 14-year wait for a series win away from home.
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Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on their Ashes preview show, Ramprakash said, “He (Ben Stokes) seems to really connect with his team-mates. He knows how difficult it is to be an international cricketer. He gives them his full backing and great empathy to understand the ups and downs”.
For Ramprakash, that empathy and trust translate directly into results in high-pressure situations. Stokes’ on-field presence, game awareness, and willingness to back his bowlers are, in his view, non-negotiable ingredients if England are to upset Australia in their own conditions.
That’s what makes the captain’s fitness the central subplot heading into the series. Ben Stokes has been managing a shoulder problem and missed England’s last Test of the home summer against India. Before that, he skipped a Test in Pakistan with a hamstring injury, only for the same issue to flare up again on the subsequent tour of New Zealand.
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{{/usCountry}}That’s what makes the captain’s fitness the central subplot heading into the series. Ben Stokes has been managing a shoulder problem and missed England’s last Test of the home summer against India. Before that, he skipped a Test in Pakistan with a hamstring injury, only for the same issue to flare up again on the subsequent tour of New Zealand.
Also Read: First Ashes without a Gabba opener in 40 years: England dodge Brisbane, but is Perth any kinder?
{{/usCountry}}Ramprakash warned that Stokes’ absence in the middle would leave a glaring hole, tactically and emotionally. “If he is not in the middle to make those decisions, to know when to back his bowlers, when to attack, that is a massive vacuum. If Ben Stokes plays these five Tests, then I think England win and win quite comfortably,” he said.
The series, which begins in Perth, offers England a chance to end their long wait for an Ashes triumph in Australia - their last away series win came in 2010-11. Under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, they have embraced an ultra-positive style that several former players believe can unsettle the Australian core.
But Ramprakash’s message cuts through the noise: whatever England’s plans with the ball, whatever tweaks they make to their batting order or tactics, their hopes of winning and winning “quite comfortably” - hinge on one thing. Ben Stokes has to be out there, fully fit, making the calls for all five Ashes Tests.