Sledging your Ashes opponents is easy, but what about praising them?
That’s precisely what TNT Sport in the UK attempted to make happen recently when they asked a series of Aussie test stars which English players they wished were Australian ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 Ashes series.
“If we could take one of their players, I think I’d choose a fully fit and firing Ben Stokes,” Mitchell Starc revealed after a little friendly coaxing.
“Everything he offers with ball and bat, and in the field, (he’s a) quality all rounder—we’ve got a couple of our own, but Stokesy just finds ways, and he’s done it against us in Ashes series with the bat and with the ball.”
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“So if I had to pick someone, it would be Ben Stokes, or maybe Joe Root,” the 35-year-old paceman added.
Curiously, when TNT Sport asked the same question of five of Starc’s long-time baggy green teammates, Marnus Labuschagne was the only other Australian willing to provide a name—Joe Root.
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja were reportedly all quite happy to leave things just the way they are.
Then again, given England hasn’t won a test match on Australian soil since January 2011 they probably have a point.
Which English players do you wish were Australian?
Mitchell Starc | Ben Stokes or Joe Root |
Marnus Labuschagne | Joe Root |
Pat Cummins | None |
Josh Hazlewood | None |
Nathan Lyon | None |
Usman Khawaja | None |