Ben Stokes fired back at Sir Ian Botham with a tongue-in-cheek social media post, declaring that "It’s better to be a has-been than a never-been." This latest chapter in the ongoing feud between two of English cricket's greatest all-rounders unfolded during the first ODI between India and England at Edgbaston on Tuesday (July 14).

The tension between the two legends traces back to November 2025 during England's Ashes preparations in Perth.

Under Stokes’s captaincy, England chose to play an informal internal practice match at a local club rather than a traditional warm-up game against local opposition.

Botham and other former England cricketers publicly questioned if this was an adequate preparation for a major Test series. However, Stokes defended his team’s approach by stating, "There's quite a few factors that play into the whole of why we can't prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past."

While Stokes later apologized and claimed using the phrase "has-beens" was a slip of the tongue, the comment deeply annoyed the older generation of English legends.

While appearing on the BBC's Test Match Special, Botham brought up the matter as he welcomed Stokes to the “has-beens club” post the latter’s recent retirement from international cricket.

“As we know, Michael Vaughan and I… We don’t know what we’re talking about. A couple of old has-beens. Ben, if you’re listening, congratulations, you’ve joined the club. You’re now a has-been,” Botham said.

Stokes responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a humorous post referencing Botham's own words: "The quote 'It's better to be a has-been than a never-been' originates from Lord Ian Botham."

The relationship between the two, which was once very close given Botham's past role as chairman of Durham (Stokes's domestic county), has soured further due to off-field incidents.

Just weeks before this exchange, Botham heavily criticized Stokes on the Stick to Cricket podcast for breaking a midnight team curfew during a Test series against New Zealand, stating that he couldn't justify the all-rounder's judgment.

Following his international retirement, Stokes is currently preparing to make his return to competitive action in domestic 50-over cricket for Durham.