Ben Stokes breaks silence on e-scooters controversy

BRISBANE: England captain Ben Stokes on Tuesday urged his players to keep enjoying themselves without being concerned about media scrutiny during the ongoing Australia tour for the Ashes, which is currently led 1-0 by the home side.

The touring side reached here on Wednesday after an agonising eight-wicket defeat in the Ashes opener in Perth, which concluded in just under two days, leaving a massive gap between the commencement of the second fixture, scheduled for December 4.

As a result, three England players – captain Stokes, pacer Mark Wood and wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith – strolled through the streets of Brisbane to explore the city, commuting through e-scooters.

However, the trio breached Queensland's legal requirement as they were pictured riding e-scooters without wearing protective headgear. Notably, Smith's scooter even had a helmet attached to it.

For the unversed, Section 256A(1) of Queensland's Road Rules states that riders without a helmet can be slapped with a fine of up to 166 Australian dollars.

While the trio risks police action, Ben Stokes instructed his players to go out and free their minds to overcome pressure, emphasising that the media scrutiny should not affect their decisions.

He specifically addressed the ongoing uproar over their e-scooter rides, stating that he does not see anything wrong.

"Australia is the best country to tour away from cricket," Stokes told reporters at the pre-match press conference at The Gabba here.

"There are so many things to do. One of the important things on tour when you're under pressure is to go out, free your mind and enjoy yourself.

"They are going to be there and film us, so the message to the group is please don't make decisions based on the fact you might get caught on camera.

"We are human. We need to enjoy countries when we get the opportunity, because we live in England, where it is miserable, freezing cold and dark at 4pm.

"I don't see anything wrong with going out and spending your time off on a golf course or having coffee or lunch, riding on a scooter.

"It's fine if they [the media] want to keep doing it, they are all polite and don't intrude on our personal space. We have a job to do, they have a job to do."