Former England captain Michael Vaughan has bitten back at Ben Stokes after the country’s current leader dismissed criticism of their preparations for the Ashes as coming from ‘has-beens’.

An Australia newspaper has fired a dig at England captain Ben Stokes ahead of the Ashes, with fans left baffled.

Ben Stokes dismissed criticisms of England's subdued Ashes preparations, stating they'll go 'balls to the wall' when they take on England Lions in their warm-up match. Earlier, former Ashes star Ian Botham had criticised the team’s minimal build-up,

The England captain's roots are a sense of pride for the people of Christchurch - despite being known as a tearaway as a youngster