The West Australian newspaper has come under fire for a provocative front-page piece that labelled England captain Ben Stokes a "cocky complainer" as the tourists touched down in Australia ahead of the Ashes.
West Australian catches the eye with dramatic front page
With the Ashes 2025-26 set to begin on November 21, the buildup is already reaching fever pitch. Mind games and public sparring have begun well before a ball is bowled – and on Wednesday, The West Australian added fresh fuel to the rivalry.
The paper ran a provocative front page featuring a photograph of Stokes arriving at Perth Airport with his luggage. Splashed across the top was the headline: "Baz Bawl". Above it, in bold, the teaser read: "England’s Cocky Captain Complainer, still smarting from 'crease-gate', lands in Perth early thinking dopey 'BazBall' can take the Ashes."
Inside, the piece continued in much the same tone. The article’s body read: "Kiwi-born Ben Stokes, the King of England’s self-proclaimed reinvention of cricket, dubbed 'Baz Ball', has sauntered into Perth confident the crazed brand of carefree and careless thrash batting – untested in Australia – will reclaim the Ashes.
"Despite the hype, England’s cavalier style has been overshadowed by their persistent whingeing about the Australians in the famous crease-gate scandal in the last Ashes or more recently when Stokes and his mates tried to bully India into ending a game early 'in the spirit of cricket'."
Also read: Fact check: No, Ben Stokes didn't refuse to shake Ravindra Jadeja's hand after Old Trafford draw
The front page of Wednesday's The West Australian. pic.twitter.com/o8Z8CeQkDQ
— The West Australian (@westaustralian) November 4, 2025
'It’s just puerile'
Reactions to the front page poured in across social media. ESPNcricinfo’s Andrew McGlashan posted on X: "A warm welcome to Perth for Ben Stokes."
Sports writer and broadcaster Paul Dennett added: "It's as representative of 'Australia' as the Daily Star is of England."
There were similar sentiments from The Sun’s cricket correspondent John Etheridge, who said: "Nothing wrong with a bit of knockabout Pommie-bashing fun in the papers. But it needs to be clever, humorous and based loosely on truth. This is none of these. It’s just puerile."
A warm welcome to Perth for Ben Stokes#AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/DGqyeOWGie
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) November 4, 2025
Just a newspaper desperate for clicks in a dying medium.
— Paul Dennett (@PaulDennett_) November 5, 2025
It’s as representative of ‘Australia’ as the Daily Star is of England. https://t.co/Ek0RyMPTF1
Nothing wrong with a bit of knockabout Pommie-bashing fun in the papers. But it needs to be clever, humorous and based loosely on truth. This is none of these. It’s just puerile. https://t.co/VcZcOnO5PQ
— John Etheridge (@JohnSunCricket) November 4, 2025
England have not won an Ashes series since 2015. While Australia’s last two away Ashes campaigns – in 2019 and again in 2023 – were both closely fought, each finished level at 2-2, allowing Australia to retain the urn both times.
But when it comes to winning in Australia, the drought for England is far longer. The last time they claimed a Test victory Down Under came back in the 2010-11 series – where Andrew Strauss’ side won 3-1 and secured what remains their most recent Ashes triumph on Australian soil.
