England captain Ben Stokes has received a scathing welcome in Australia after beingbranded "cocky" by local media ahead of the highly anticipated Ashes series.

A photograph of Stokes navigating an airport with luggage was emblazoned across the front page of The West Australian newspaper under the headline ‘Baz Bawl’.

The accompanying sub-head further intensified the criticism, reading: "England’s Cocky Captain Complainer, still smarting from ‘crease-gate’ lands in Perth early thinking dopey ‘BazBall’ can take the Ashes."

This was a direct reference to the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow during the previous series.

The article went on to lambast England’s aggressive tactics under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum , dismissing their approach as "carefree and carele

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