Stokes had countered the limited preparation before Ashes criticism by calling the former cricketers "has beens".
The Ben Stokes-led England side arrived in Australia with a lot of expectations, but ended up conceding the Ashes urn in just 11 days -- the joint-second quickest in more than a century.
The visitors had just one warm-up fixture in Australia, against their second-tier Lions side, and lost the opening Test in Perth inside two days. Former captains like Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan and Graham Gooch slammed the limited preparation, but Stokes countered the criticism by calling them "has beens".
Recently, India’s legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar lambasted Stokes for his 'has-beens' remark, highlighting England's lack of First-Class cricket before the Ashes.
“[The modern batter] thinks counter-attack is the answer, when a little bit of patience, with some deep breaths taken to slow down the adrenaline, might help in reducing the bat speed and the big swing, so even if he miscues or edges, the ball may not carry to the fielder. But then, if he hardly plays any First-Class cricket, how will he mentally get used to adjusting to the required rhythm of a Test match?" Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“England’s win, even though it came in the fourth Test with the series already lost, does prove once again that the more you play, the better you will get, especially in unfamiliar overseas conditions… The point, therefore, is should England have played a few more First-Class games before the first Test? The ‘ares’ do not agree with the ‘has-beens’ here," Gavaskar added.
More flak was piled on the England team management as they opted to skip a pink-ball opportunity in Canberra before the day-night second Test at the Gabba, instead spending five days in the Brisbane nets. The result was the same eight-wicket thrashing.
This was followed by an 82-run defeat at the Adelaide Oval as England conceded an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The tourists, though, bounced back and registered a gusty four-wicket victory in the Boxing Day Ashes at MCG. The series will conclude with the New Year’s Test, slated to begin on January 4 at SCG.