Ashes 2025–26: Marcus Trescothick Defends England Cricket Team’s Minimal Preparation Ahead of 1st Test Against Australia, Says ‘It’s the Way of Modern Game’
After Ian Botham voiced concern about their preparations, stating that not playing at least one game against a state team “borders on arrogance”, Trescothick stated that there are no worries about whether the lower, slower conditions at Lilac Hill will sufficiently prepare them for the anticipated fast and bouncy pitch at Optus Stadium for the Ashes opener on November 21.
Mumbai, November 11: England batting coach Marcus Trescothick has defended the team’s minimal preparation for the upcoming Ashes series, stating that not engaging in several warm-up matches against local teams reflects the current norms of the modern game. Over the past week, tourists have gradually arrived in Perth, with their full squad, including several players returning from a limited-overs tour of New Zealand, coming together for a training session that lasted over two hours at Lilac Hill in Perth’s eastern suburbs on Tuesday. Ashes 2025-26: Ben Duckett Calls Ben Stokes ‘Most Important’ Player in England National Cricket Team, Says ‘He Has Been in Beast Mode’ (Watch Video).
They will begin a three-day match against their ‘A’ side, the England Lions, at the venue from Thursday. However, unlike in 2013 and 2017, their preparation for the first Test of the series will not feature a game against a WA side.
After Ian Botham voiced concern about their preparations, stating that not playing at least one game against a state team “borders on arrogance”, Trescothick stated that there are no worries about whether the lower, slower conditions at Lilac Hill will sufficiently prepare them for the anticipated fast and bouncy pitch at Optus Stadium for the Ashes opener on November 21.
“I think the way that these series are generally done, for us and for opposition teams with the volume of cricket that’s played around the world these days, you don’t have time for preparations like potentially playing two or three First Class games. It’s the way of the modern game nowadays. We’re very happy with what we’re getting. We’ve had facilities here with the nets and the nets out in the middle and then we’ve got the preparation game here as well. We’ll have three days of prep at Optus, just to get to used the pitches as we go along with that, and we’ll go from there,” Trescothick was quoted as saying by The West Australian. Ashes 2025–26: Ian Botham Criticises England’s Game-Time Ahead of 1st Test Against Australia, Says ‘It’s Not the Way To Prepare’.
Since appointing Brendon McCullum as coach and Ben Stokes as captain in 2022, England have experienced a remarkable transformation in their Test cricket, embracing an aggressive style known as ‘Bazball’ in honour of their New Zealander mentor.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2025 03:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).