Could there be an Ashes series where we say: "There isn't a lot of hype this time around"? Well, we can't say it for the 2025-26 one down under, which is building up predictably, with banter and back-and-forths fired off one after the other.
Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler enjoyed reading a headline and story from the Australian newspaper on England captain Ben Stokes arriving in Australia.
"... Ben Stokes, the king of England's self-proclaimed reinvention of cricket," Broad read out.
"England's cocky captain complainer lands in Perth early, thinking dopey Bazball can take the Ashes," Jos Buttler added, with masterful control over the alliterative bits.
Broad joked about the moniker, saying, "I mean, they are 50% right with that, because he's England's captain." He also revealed that Stokes had responded to the headline in a text message with "18 to 20 laughing faces, which feels like he's quite relaxed."
Broad has himself participated in the needling, with the grand declaration that the current Australian side was the worst since 2010, when England last won the Ashes down under.
Steven Smith, who is part of the current Australian Test squad, took note of it, when talking about the coming summer. "Obviously it's our worst side since 2010," Smith laughed. "There's obviously been the back and forth and plenty of banter, which I don't really like to get involved in. It's going to be a wonderful series. England are a really good side at the moment. We've been a really good side over the last three-four years, making it to two Test Championship finals, so it's going to be exciting." Clever to highlight the WTC results there, Smudge!
Meanwhile, his former Australia team-mate David Warner is pretty bullish about how Smith's summer is going to go. "I reckon he's got five centuries in him."