Former Australian captain critiques Stokes' Ashes 2023 statements

Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has voiced criticism of Ben Stokes' recent remarks during the Ashes 2023 series.

Stokes had expressed that his England Test team would leave a lasting impression on those who had the privilege to witness their performances.

Paine went on to critique England's recent cricketing performance, particularly their standing in the World Test Championship and their overall achievements.

"In context, I think it was taken slightly out of context because he was talking in a changing room and it was a bigger speech, so I will say that," Paine said.

"You’re coming dead last in the World Test Championship. You’re not going to be a team that everyone remembers watching, and you’re not doing anything outrageously good that we haven’t seen before. You’re an average cricket team. Actually, you’re at the moment, a below-average cricket team and I think they need to get their head around that a little bit," he added.

Previously, Stokes had made his comments amidst England's challenging performance in the Ashes series, which concluded with a drawn fifth match due to weather conditions at Old Trafford.

"And what we have managed to do is, we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket," Stokes had stated in the documentary.

Looking ahead, England is scheduled to face West Indies in a three-match Test series commencing July 10 at Lord's.