London, Nov. 17 -- Former batting stalwart Andrew Strauss warned Ben Stokes, the England skipper, to be wary of Australia's attempts to get under his skin in the upcoming Ashes, scheduled to commence on Friday at Perth's Optus Stadium.

Stokes will aim to lead England to their first Ashes triumph in Australia since 2010/11, while trying to defy their 13-0 record down under since their last series win. Shots have been fired, jibes have been taken, and players are still being singled out ahead of the much-anticipated series opener.

England has been on the radar for their lack of preparation, which consisted of a single three-day warm-up game against the Lions at the Lilac Hill surface in Perth. Stokes shrugged off the criticism from the fo...