'Spoke too much': Ben Stokes' vow after learning from Ashes 'mistakes'

England skipper Ben Stokes has admitted he might've "spoken too much" in the lead up to the firey 2023 Ashes series, and vowed not to make the same "mistake".

After England recovered from 2-0 down to salvage a 2-2 draw in last years' series, the old foe will return to Australia next summer.

But before then, England still have seven Tests to play. The first to begin on Saturday against New Zealand at Seddon Park, the final in the three-match series the tourists lead 2-0.

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It will be their final Test until their own home summer, where they will host a one-off Test against Zimbabwe followed by five against India.

On Friday, Stokes admitted to putting too much emphasis and focus on that 2023 Ashes campaign, and would "tone down" expectations.

"Every Englishman and Australian knows the Ashes is a big series for both teams, but I think toning down on the expectations on that series is something I will be better at in the build-up," he said.

"You do always have one eye on that, but we have six more Tests before that so we have to focus on those games.

"Through my own fault, I maybe spoke a little too much about the Ashes and putting too much emphasis on that series considering how much cricket we had to play before that.

"That's so far away from what my leadership had been about – staying present, staying where we are and then worrying about stuff when we have to worry about. That was a mistake from myself. I don't know where it really came from … there's learning curves as a leader, I guess.

"It is quite tough when you've got an Ashes coming around the corner. I've been involved in quite a few of those now and you do sort of look at the calendar and think 'oh it's nearly here'.

"That's hard to avoid but I think I'll just make sure I keep my focus on being in the here and now and what we've got coming up."

The England side that arrives on Australian shores next summer will look drastically different to the one that lost 4-0 in 2021-2022.

Veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad have both retired, and Jonny Bairstow's career looks like it, too, could be over after he was left out of England's touring squad to New Zealand.

The 2025-26 Ashes series kicks off in November in Perth. The second Test in Brisbane will be the annual day-night fixture, before the usual Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney swing.