Revealed: The touching reason England skipper Ben Stokes is wearing a special symbol on his shoes during the Ashes

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  • All-rounder is skippering England in Australia for the first time 

By MICHAEL PONTICELLO

Published: 04:30 GMT, 21 November 2025 | Updated: 04:30 GMT, 21 November 2025

England Captain Ben Stokes is donning two special symbols on his playing shoes throughout the Ashes to pay tribute to his late father. 

Stokes has received pairs of custom-made shoes displaying two tokens as part of a brand deal with Adidas and award-winning artist Jordan Dawson.

The first is a motif of the mythological phoenix bird, which is famed for its ability to rise from the ashes.  

It resonates with Stokes in a big way, matching a tattoo he had done after his father's passing.

'I've got a phoenix as a big part of the tattoo on my right arm, so it was something I was keen to include in the design,' Stokes told the BBC.

'I've had a long career in sport and the phoenix has come to signify my belief that whenever you're down, you can rise again.'    

England captain Ben Stokes (pictured with artist Jordan Dawson) had a major say in the design of the shoes

Stokes (pictured with his mother Deborah and late father Ged) is paying tribute to his father in a touching way

The 34-year-old (pictured leading the England team out just before the start of the first Ashes Test in Perth) is leading the Three Lions in Australia for the first time

The shoes also boast an illustration of the hand gesture Stokes performs when celebrating, in another tribute to his dad, who died from brain cancer.

Ged Stokes, a former New Zealand rugby league player, was also forced to have a finger amputated in his playing days.

'I think everyone knows the story of my dad injuring his finger... and having it removed but since he passed away, the hand gesture is a celebration I've done in memory of him,' Stokes added.  

The 34-year-old also paid tribute to his father on the one-year anniversary of his death by wearing a black armband on the first day of the last Ashes series played in Australia in 2021.   

Stokes will be hoping the symbols give him some extra inspiration in what shapes as one of his toughest tests as leader of the national side.

England have not won a Test match in Australia since 2011, and have been defeated by a combined 13-0 across the last three Ashes series held Down Under. 

Stokes and former skipper Joe Root are the keys to England's potential success.

The pair are the side's most experienced batters, with the popular all-rounder the only current English player who's scored an Ashes century away from home.

The 34-year-old partnered with Adidas and an award-winning artist to bring his idea to life

Stokes (pictured with his father) is the only member of England's top six batters to score a Test century in Australia

Stokes won the toss for the first Test in Perth and elected to bat first in a departure from what the England team has become known for while playing 'Bazball' - their love of chasing runs in the last innings.

Australia's stand-in captain, Steve Smith, admitted he would have made the same choice had the toss gone his way.

The first session in Perth was a torrid affair for the tourists, however.

They went to lunch at 105-4, with Root out for a duck to Mitchell Starc, who took two more wickets - including Zak Crawley in the first over - with all-rounder Cameron Green claiming the scalp of Ollie Pope.   

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