The Ashes: England captain Ben Stokes spotted cruising the streets of Melbourne after one Test victory

England’s cricketers have finally popped their heads up after breaking through for an Ashes victory. Ben Stokes has been spotted cruising around the streets of Melbourne, taking it easy, a day after Australia hit the nets again ahead of the Sydney Test. Stokes was spotted on Tuesday walking the streets with a coffee with his son, Layton, as if life is a breeze for the Poms, despite actually losing the Ashes more than a week ago. Australia, meanwhile, trained at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday after making a public appearance for fans on Sunday and is only now taking two days off. The Boxing Day Test fizzer was Stokes’ first victory Down Under after four tours here, but ultimately means nothing, with Australia holding an unassailable series lead. The series moves to Sydney, with the SCG Test starting on Sunday. It’s yet another low-key preparation for the tourists, who have copped heat for their boozy mid-series trip to Noosa between the second and third Tests, as well as a less-is-more approach to getting ready for the first match, where they played just one practice match against themselves in Perth. Former Australian captain Kim Hughes said their poor preparation was behind the injury scourge that has hit the Poms, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson the latest to be ruled out of the rest of the series. Injury-prone quick Mark Wood lasted just one Test, and Jofra Archer played the first three but was ruled out with a side strain once the series was dead. “What’s coming back to haunt them is their poor preparation,” Hughes told The West Australian. “They used to play three first-class games before the Test. Here, they played three days of social cricket. “And they wonder why Wood’s gone, Archer’s gone — and Archer had started to come good —and now Atkinson’s gone as well. God Almighty.”