The Ashes: England squad departs Perth after nightmare beginning to series in WA

England skipper Ben Stokes says his focus is purely on bouncing back in Brisbane as the tourists bade a sorry farewell to their disappointing time in Perth.

The English side flew out of WA on Wednesday after a hellacious stint out west which has seen them fall 1-0 in their quest to reclaim the Ashes amid a raft of criticism from former greats.

Still smarting from their abysmal, crushing defeat inside just two days at Optus Stadium, England will spend the next week licking their wounds ahead of the second Test at the Gabba, beginning next Thursday.

Despite calls from a cavalry of English legends for the tourists to give their stars more match minutes in a pink-ball practice game against the Prime Minister’s XI, the under-fire England side will field an understrength side in the Canberra clash.

England captain Ben Stokes told reporters they were purely focused on the second Test as they departed on Wednesday morning.

“We’re all focusing on Brisbane now. We’re all thinking about what we need to do in Brisbane,” he said.

More to come