They lost the Sydney Test by five wickets.
England arrived in Australia for the Ashes 2025 with a lot of hopes, but those evaporated quickly, and they ended up losing the series 4-1. Captain Ben Stokes was in the midst of it all, giving his everything for his team, but it wasn’t enough. By the end of the series, he suffered a groin injury, the extent of which is yet unknown.
It began with plenty of hype as coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes-led side was touted as their best unit to tour Australia since their last series win in 2010-11. This England team did manage to win their first Test in Australia in 15 years, but the 4-1 scoreline tells a story that the brand of cricket they play isn’t good enough to beat the top sides.
England won the Melbourne Test on a tough pitch but ended the series with another defeat at Sydney on a flatter surface. The match followed the same trend where their batters just fail to get on top of things and lose wickets recklessly. They posted 384 batting first on a pitch where they should have scored close to 500.
This recklessness and underperformance as a batting unit were one of the key reasons for their crushing defeat. Stokes acknowledged how the style they are currently playing with has low chances of success against big teams.
“I think we play too much 3 out of 10 cricket, in terms of the chances of it coming off, and when you play a lot of cricket like that, the likelihood is that it’s not really going to fall your way in big moments,” said Stokes, speaking to TNT Sports.
In the post-match press conference, the England captain admitted that teams have found answers to their Bazball style of play.
“We are now playing against teams who have answers to the style of cricket we have been playing for a long period. I think for the first few years, teams found it hard to come up with anything to combat it but now teams are coming up with plans against the certain style of cricket we play,” he added.
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Following the Ashes disappointment, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched an investigation and will thoroughly review the team culture and preparation for the tour.
The board will then take a call on the head coach McCullum’s position and the way forward. However, Stokes has already backed the New Zealander to retain his job, and that should play a role.
It is expected that Stokes will get his wish, but the board should implement stricter protocols to improve the team culture and how things work. England are not scheduled to play any Test cricket for a few months, so they have enough time to make the necessary changes.
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