Ashes 2026: Fallen Ben Stokes admits rivals have learnt to counter Bazball

The aftermath of a crushing 4-1 defeat in The Ashes, which concluded at Sydney on Thursday, has set the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum combo on a rethink on the Bazball philosophy. While it’s presumptious to say if heads will roll, the England Test captain made a candid admission for the first time that opposition teams have found ways to counter their ultra aggressive brand of cricket.

Speaking to Sky Sports after they were humbled in the last Test by five wickets, a disappointed Stokes  admitted that familiar patterns are emerging whenever his side looks comfortable with the bat. “I think for a while, teams have understood how to operate against us. When we get into a situation with the bat where things look easy, opposition sides are doing a lot of the same things to us now,” Stokes said.

“We need to work out what we do in those situations. We play too much three out of ten cricket, and if you play like that the likelihood is it’s not going to fall your way in big moments. I’ve seen it a lot in this series and in other series before.”

England’s next Test assignment is only in June against New Zealand, which gives the team management six months for some honest reflection and potential recalibration. Addressing speculation around the futures of himself, and coach McCullum, and ECB director Rob Key, Stokes reiterated his commitment to leading the side forward.

“How we develop is by being pretty honest and straightforward. You don’t progress unless you have those conversations,” said Stokes, whose team pulled one back inside two days at the Boxing Day Test on a sub-par wicket at the MCG. If it raised hopes of the visitors walking back with their heads held high for a final 3-2 scoreline, it was not to be.

Stokes also admitted personal responsibility for England's shortcomings, conceding he made “big mistakes” as captain during the tour. He stressed that while tough decisions may be needed, he or his team won’t be playing the blame game.

“This isn’t a blame culture. It’s about taking responsibility and ownership, really understanding where we’re at, if we want to take ourselves to the next level again,” Stokes added.

Weighing in on the performance of the team, ECB chief executive Richard Gould, in a statement, has assured ‘necessary changes’ after the thorough review of England's ‘’tour planning and preparation, individual performance and behaviours, and our ability to adapt and respond effectively as circumstances require.’’

Head coach McCullum, meanwhile, has accepted there are ‘’some areas where you want to keep improving, and some areas where you think you can evolve’’.

‘’From my point of view, I’ll look at it individually and say, Right, what could I have done better?' and ‘’What could I improve on? Am I for being told what to do? Of course I’m not,’’ he observed.