England captain Ben Stokes talks to coach Brendon McCullum (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) England captain Ben Stokes has strongly backed head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the final Test of the 2025-2026 Ashes at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Although England have already lost the series, Stokes made it clear that he still has faith in McCullum and feels that their partnership is very important for the team’s future.Stokes said he had no doubt McCullum would continue as England head coach. At the same time, he conceded that the Ashes loss means both need to take a hard look at what went wrong and find ways to improve the team.
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Speaking ahead of the Test in Sydney, Stokes said: “There’s no doubt that Brendon and I are the right people to carry this on for the foreseeable future. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Brendon. I can’t see anyone else with whom I can take this team from where we are now to even greater heights.”He added that the responsibility is on the captain and the coach to raise the level of the team. “So for us as a captain and a coach, when we have time off, we have to put our heads together and go. What do we think we have to do to get to the next level?” Stokes said.Brendon McCullum took charge of the England men’s test team in May 2022. His appointment marked the beginning of an aggressive and upbeat style of play known as “Bazball”. This approach brought rapid success, and in 2024 McCullum was appointed as England’s all-format coach. He officially started working with both Test and White teams in January 2025.England got off to a good start under Stokes and McCullum. Together they won 10 of their first 11 Test matches, raising expectations. Since then, however, the results have been inconsistent. In their last 34 Tests, England have won 16 and lost 16, with two matches ending in draws. They also failed to win a major five-Test series against arch-rivals Australia or India.England lead Australia 3-1 in the ongoing Ashes series. While the trophy is already out of reach, England will want to finish the tour on a positive note. The final Test begins on January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Stokes and his team will be aiming for victory.
