As the Ashes Series looms, the Australian media have clearly turned up the dial on the mind games — and two of England’s most prominent figures, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, are squarely in the firing line.
In Perth, as England’s players arrived ahead of the five-Test series against Australia national cricket team, tabloid headlines greeted them with rhetorical club rather than welcoming mats. Stokes, the England captain, was labelled a “cocky complainer” by one major publication, beneath a front-page photograph of him pushing luggage through the airport. The headline “Baz Bawl” (a play on his nickname “Baz” and “bawl”) drove home the cut: “England’s Cocky Captain Complainer, still smarting from ‘crease-gate’, lands in Perth early thinking dopey ‘BazBall’ can take the Ashes.”
Now, a week later, the same tabloid has taken aim at Joe Root, one of England’s greatest all-format batters, with a front-page label of “Average Joe”.
The newspaper argues that despite Root’s enormous career tally of over 13,500 Test runs, his record in Australia — still without a Test century and an average of about 35.68 over 14 matches — makes him more “pretender than hero on Australian soil. Plenty has already been said about Root not having a hundred to show for in Test cricket in Australia.
The question now being posed in cricketing circles is: has the Aussie media crossed the line between spirited Ashes banter and outright disrespect?
On one hand, the Ashes rivalry has always been built as much on a psychological edge as bowling pace or batting flair. Traditional mind-games, provocative headlines and subtle jabs are part of the heritage.
On the other hand, critics say the tone and language of these particular headlines feel more personal and demeaning. Root, while yet to conquer Australia in big style, is widely regarded in England as among Test cricket’s elite. To brand him “Average Joe” seems detached from his global status; to label Stokes a “cocky complainer” plays into stereotype rather than critique of his cricketing leadership.
The effect is tangible. For the visitors, the headlines add an extra layer of distraction: will Root feel the pressure of landing a rare Test ton in Australia? Will Stokes respond to the media-induced narrative of arrogance? For the hosts, the provocations may serve as fuel for Australia’s own contest mindset—but they also risk giving England a motivational platform.
It’s often said that the Aussie media is the team’s 12th man. They spare none and even visiting Indian teams have faced the wrath in the past. Virat Kohli has often been targetted with provocative tabloid headlines.
As the first Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium approaches on November 21, all eyes will be on how the players respond. Will Root silence the headlines with a big knock? Will Stokes let his cricket do the talking rather than the media chatter?
The urn is contested on the field, but the first battle this series may just be off it.
