Ashes 2025-26: ‘If that’s the way you play, might as well go home’ – Former England all-rounder slams Ben Stokes and Co. after Perth humbling

The legendary Ian Botham slammed England’s poor performance and expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s mentality of playing ultra-aggressive cricket even when it was necessary to drag it out. His comments come after the Three Lions were trounced in the inaugural Ashes Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium in just two days.

Botham stated that England must pull their socks up immediately and try to turn things around against the tough Australian team. The tourists want to reclaim the coveted Ashes urn for the first time since 2015.

“It was horrendous, there’s no other word for it. England need to fire up and fire up quickly. I’m fed up of hearing, ‘this is the way we play’. If I hear it once more, I think I’ll throw something at the television,” Botham told PA News Agency.

Botham also warned the England team that it could be whitewashed 0-5 in the five-match series if it didn’t alter their approach.

“If that’s the way you play, you might as well go home now because it’s going to be 5-0. They probably won’t like me saying that but they need to need to get their heads around it. I want more pride when I see people pulling that sweater on,” said Botham.

People remember you for what you’ve done over here: Botham

Botham said that Joe Root and Ben Stokes will be desperate to win in Australia as this could be their last appearance Down Under. The cricketer-turned-commentator stated that if Root and Stokes go empty-handed from the ongoing Ashes tour, it will leave an indelible stain on their legacies.

“People remember you for what you’ve done over here. In Joe and Ben we’ve got two world-class players – Joe’s got 39 hundreds for goodness sake – but they are desperate to make an impression here. You can only do that by winning. They need to get the monkey off their back,” Botham said.

“They are the two who will want this the most because a lot of the others will get another bite at the cherry. I can tell you from experience, winning over here feels really, really good and it means absolute respect. I don’t have a favourite time because every time you beat Australia is a great day. That alone should drive England,” he added.