England lost the Ashes 2025 by 1-4.
Former cricketer Geoffrey Boycott lambasted England head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key, and captain Ben Stokes after the team suffered a crushing defeat in the Ashes 2025.
In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott said England had been selling a lie for three years, suggesting that the bold ‘Bazball’ approach was no longer working.
Boycott stated that McCullum’s relaxed style had created a lack of accountability within the England team. He believed that the Kiwi coach’s ‘do what you like’ mindset has led to a team culture where no one gets dropped, takes responsibility, and players continue to make the same silly mistakes.
“I like McCullum. He’s been refreshing, but he’s a gambler who doesn’t know when to stop. I think he has taken England as far as he can, and we now need someone else to take the team to the next level,” Boycott wrote.
England’s bold and ultra-aggressive approach in Test cricket, which was initially praised for creating excitement and producing victories, is now being questioned after devastating defeats against strong teams like Australia and India. Critics suggested that with the ‘Bazball’ approach, England have not displayed strong game awareness and have lacked the flexibility to win crucial moments despite being in strong positions to win the game a couple of times in the series.
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According to Boycott, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should urge former great players like Ian Botham, Graham Gooch, and David Gower to advise the current team and bring fresh, winning ideas to their planning. He argued that the team management’s overconfidence and refusal to listen to former players’ advice resulted in England’s lack of discipline and tactical understanding.
“Sport is about results. This group would not last long in football or the business world. If they stay, there needs to be change – more structure, discipline, and accountability,” Boycott added.
Throughout the series, the batting lineup saw changes, but the failures continued. Only Jacob Bethell and Joe Root managed to average 40 or more among the English batters. The top order, with Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope, struggled, averaging 20.2, 27.3, and 20.83, respectively, raising concerns. There were also questions raised about their mid-series trip to Noosa.
The team management’s decision-making also faced scrutiny for not including Shoaib Bashir in the playing XI, even though spin played a small part in the Ashes 2025.
Boycott termed the calls made by team management during the Ashes 2025 slapstick and naive, referring to McCullum, Key, and Stokes as three wise men who turned out to be three stooges. He also blamed poor preparation, questionable player choices, and a stubborn refusal to change tactics for England’s debacle.
Brendon McCullum acknowledged England’s failings but remained firm in his commitment to the attacking style of cricket that has defined his time as coach. He told reporters that he was proud of the way the lads have played, but admitted the team needed to be smarter at key times.
“We weren’t good enough in the important sessions. You have to be brave to play this style, and sometimes it doesn’t work out. But we’ll look at it and learn from it—we always do,” McCullum said after the Sydney Test.
While McCullum dismissed ideas that his way of thinking had failed, he did admit there were lessons to be learnt before the upcoming trip to the subcontinent and the English summer.
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