This is The Friends of History Debating Society.

I'm John Bachelor.

Jeremy Zakisis from New South Wales is here.

My cricket guide and coach, I've learned enough to know that it's time to start

trash talking for ashes. And who gets out there first? Ben Stokes.

Jeremy, who's Ben Stokes and what's he saying about Australia? The ashes are scheduled, scheduled I believe for the end of this year.

Your summertime.

Well John, Ben Stokes, he's the English Captain, he's the English Cricket Captain and he has been for some time now. He was actually the captain last time round when we played against England in the ashes and I will remind everybody that Australia actually won the ashes against England. So Ben Stokes is of course one of these

characters who's a leader within the cricket community. He's a very strong

proponent of cricket in the UK, but he's also very very vocal and I think the reason we're talking about it today

John is because during the week he's actually had quite a controversial media

coverage I guess you could say what he's done is he came out during the week saying

that in the last ashes that they played against Australia while England still

lost Ben Stokes is saying that we were actually privileged to actually watch such prowess as an English team that was playing to near perfection

play against the Australian team. So it's telling us that we were not only privileged, but it was something that will probably, you know, maybe never get the opportunity to see again such a wonderful team, the English team, play.

But again, the whole time that he was speaking about this, he forgot to remind everybody that the English, the Poms, actually managed to lose the ashes and not do so well.

So I don't know, he really is starting the trash talk earlier I think John we did joke last week I might remind you that the trash talkers has to be around the corner because we are six months out now from the ashes but

honestly I didn't see Ben Stokes coming out telling us that we would privilege to watch

them lose the last Ashes series.

Yes, it is an odd take. I guess my guess would be he's waiting for a response from your people. He wants to start the trash

talking six months out because the December series, and it will be in Australia and so he's going to get lots of attention back

home and I I'm only guessing because in the United States Jeremy trash talking is unwise.

...