England’s chances of winning the Ashes for the first time in almost a decade were dashed after they lost the first three Tests against Australia without much of a fight. While the consolation win in Melbourne has provided the squad some breathing room, head coach Brendon McCullum has faced criticism for the team’s poor performance in red-ball cricket in recent months.
Before the fifth and final Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, January 4, England captain Ben Stokes spoke out in support of the former New Zealand captain. Stokes stated that he and McCullum are the perfect men to lead England cricket ahead.
“There is no doubt in my mind me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve worked with Brendon. I can’t see there being someone else who I could take this team [with] from where we are now to even bigger heights. So for us as captain and coach, when we do have the time off, we need to put our heads together and go ‘What is it that we think we need to do to go to the next level?'” Stokes said, according to Yahoo Sport.
The great all-rounder said that the last year’s results had been varied and inconsistent in comparison to previous years.
“You look back at how things have gone over the last year, the results and the consistency hasn’t quite been there from the first two and a half to three years we were in charge. All we’ve ever wanted to do is constantly push the guys and not wanting to stand still. We’ve got some things to go away and speak about and try to get the boys pushing even further forward than we managed to achieve since me and Brendon first took over.”
Ben Stokes
Additional responsibility for McCullum a hindrance? Ben Stokes answers
When McCullum was hired by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), he was solely granted control of the Test team. Since 2025, he has served as the head coach in all three versions. England’s Test win rate has dropped significantly since then. Before 2025, England had won 22 of 35 Tests. However, since McCullum took over as all-format coach, the Three Lions have only won four of ten Tests.
The ODI squad has four wins and 11 losses, is out in the group stages of the Champions Trophy while T20I team have won eight and lost five before going to the World Cup. Stokes, however, feels taking on the additional roles has not strained his relationship with the Test side.
“He has got two jobs. [But] it has not influenced the relationship we have with this Test team whatsoever,” said Stokes.
