Captain Ben Stokes admitted on 22 November 2025 that he was “shell-shocked” following England’s heavy defeat to Australia in the first Ashes Test, but emphasised the need for his team to move on quickly ahead of the next match in Brisbane.
England had a rare chance to win a Test in Australia for the first time in 15 years, but their hopes were dashed within two days at Perth Stadium.
After succumbing to a devastating bowling attack from Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, England’s own pace threat was left helpless against a rampant Travis Head, who smashed an incredible 123 to secure an eight-wicket victory for the hosts.
“Little bit shell-shocked, it was pretty phenomenal from Head,” Stokes said. “It’s raw, emotional, but that was some knock. We tried three or four different plans to get him, but when he’s going like a train, he’s very hard to stop.”
Despite the heavy loss, Stokes found positives, particularly in England’s first-innings bowling effort, which dismissed Australia for just 132.
“The way we bowled yesterday was phenomenal. A lot happened on day one – a good day for the bowlers,” he said. “It’s tough because we felt in control. We’ll let this sink in, but we’ve got four more games. It’s a long time before Brisbane, so we’ll go away and put in the work.”
The day-night Brisbane Test is scheduled to begin on 4 December.
With many players making their Ashes debut, Stokes admitted managing their emotions was a challenge.
“Yeah, we’ve got to let that whole two hours sink in first and reflect on it properly, without the emotion attached to what just happened,” he said. “There’s obviously disappointment coming off the field on the losing side. That’s on me and the other senior players who have experience in big series. You need to let it hurt, but also get rid of it quickly while learning from it.
“When we get to Brisbane, we need to be back to the mindset we had coming into this game – confident in our abilities and focused on our goal. It’s crucial not to carry any baggage from this result into Brisbane.”
