MITCHELL JOHNSON: Ben Stokes' warning to India about sledging should not scare Australia ahead of Ashes
Harry Brook reckons it's fun not being 'nice guys' anymore. Ben Stokes is warning opponents — especially India — that if they dish it out, England will return fire.
Good on them. But here's a bit of advice: be careful what you wish for.
Ashes series are about mental edge, sure. There's always been chatter, always will be. But sledging without substance is like bowling bouncers with no pace — the batter just laughs at it.
Right now, England sound like they're trying to sound intimidating rather than
being
intimidating.
Let's not pretend Australia are choirboys. I had plenty to say when I played — and copped plenty back. But that came with purpose. Sledging only works when you're dominating. And to be honest, right now England aren't.
They haven't won an Ashes series since in Australia since 2010-11. They still don't know what their best top six is. Their Bazball model has some punch, but it's flimsy when conditions swing or spin.
So maybe talking tough is a cover. A bit of theatre while they figure out the actual cricket.
Here's what England need to remember: the Ashes aren't won at press conferences. They're won in the heat. When the new ball is jagging around at the Gabba. When a Mitchell Starc inswinger nips past your front pad before you've even had a look. When a bloke like Josh Hazlewood bowls 25 overs on the same spot and you can't breathe.
That's when the real battle starts, not in the media, not on social clips, but in those moments when the scoreboard pressure builds and the crowd is roaring.
I actually love this from an Aussie point of view. Let England yap. Let them tell the world how hard they're going to be. All it does is give the Australians more fire.
Trust me — if you try to poke the bear on our home turf, you'd better have the game to back it up.
Because when the words dry up — and they will — it's all about execution. That's where Australia are so strong. Bowlers who do the job no matter the surface. Batters who absorb pressure and make you suffer. Fielders who don't give you an inch. That's real toughness.
If England think sledging will rattle this Aussie side, they're living in dreamland. This is a team full of veterans who've seen it all — and young players who grew up in these conditions.
You don't need to get personal. You just need to perform. In fact, the most painful thing you can do to a team that's chirping is shut them up with cricket. Silence is the loudest response there is.
While Australia might be at their most vulnerable in years with this current batting line-up — a few question marks at the top, the middle still rebuilding — they're still incredibly hard to beat at home. Always have been.
Conditions, crowds, our bowlers — they all make life hell for touring teams. Especially ones coming in swinging wildly with the bat and the tongue.
Let's not forget what happened last time England came down under. All the chat, all the optimism, then bowled out for 147 in the first innings of the first Test and for just 68 in the Boxing Day Test a couple of weeks later.
That was the sound of reality setting in. And no amount of sledging helped them then.
I'm not saying Australia are immune to pressure. They're not. This Ashes series could be tight — maybe even a real scrap. But if England think mouthing off is the key to getting on top of us, they've already lost focus.
So to England, I say: bring your best. Talk your talk. But when that first ball is bowled in Perth in November, you'll find out quickly what's real and what's just noise.
Because in the Ashes, only one thing matters — and it's not the volume.
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