England are trailing 0-3 in the five-match Ashes 2025 against Australia.
After conceding a 0-3 lead to Australia in the five-match Ashes 2025, England will be playing for pride in the next two Tests. After heavy criticism and amid the Noosa trip controversy, the Boxing Day Test is crucial for the visitors. Legendary batter Geoffrey Boycott has given strong advice to captain Ben Stokes to deal with the team’s top-order crisis.
In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott advised Ben Stokes to promote himself to the top order, particularly at No.3. He argues that Stokes’ experience and recent form make him better suited to the position instead of throwing inexperienced Jacob Bethell into the fire, who will be making his Ashes debut.
“Has-been former players like me don’t enjoy criticising the England side, but we can’t praise bad cricket. Ben Stokes should bat at No. 3. He’s shown great discipline and determination against seamers, and while it’s tougher early on, he has the form and experience to manage it,” Boycott penned.
Boycott’s comments come as England face heavy criticism for their inconsistent top order throughout the Ashes 2025 campaign. It is evident from the stats that Australia’s senior pacer Mitchell Starc (150 runs with two fifties) has scored more runs and half-centuries than England’s two of the top-three batters, including Ben Duckett (125) and Ollie Pope (97), who have failed to cross the 50-run mark in the series so far.
Stokes has seldom batted at No.3 in Test cricket. Most of his innings have come in the middle order, mainly at No.5 or No.6, where his natural counter-attacking style suits his ability to handle pressure. The all-rounder, who has batted in every position at least once, has scored 61 runs at No.3 at an average of 30.50. The last time he took on that role was during the Ashes 2023, where he scored 42 runs at The Oval.
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The veteran also believes that moving Ben Stokes up could help strengthen the lineup and allow a breather to Bethell at No.6. The youngster has scored 260 runs in three Tests at No.3 in New Zealand in his brief career.
“With no cricket for over a month, it’s a lot to expect Jacob Bethell to step up and handle a new ball against strong Australian bowlers. In my view, he has a better chance of success at No.6,” he added.
Though Boycott’s suggestion to slot Bethell at No.6 is a cautious move to bring the best out of him, his two-innings experience at that number isn’t a memorable one, having scored only 11 runs across two innings.
While it will be a strategic move to bolster the top order, it could also turn out to be a major blunder if it doesn’t work. This is due to his lack of experience in facing the new Kookaburra ball, especially on a grassy pitch that helps seam bowlers.
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