Ben Stokes cut a dejected figure after England conceded their Ashes An 82-run defeat by Australia in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval. The loss extended England’s woeful run in Australia, where they have now lost 16 of their last 18 Tests, with the remaining two drawn. At 0–3 in the five-match series, England have set their sights on salvaging World Test Championship points, with the team currently in seventh.
Stokes, who has scored 165 runs and taken nine wickets in the series so far, admitted that England have only shown promise in patches, with their overall performance in the three Tests lagging behind. The England captain admitted that Australia have been much better in terms of execution throughout the series.
“Obviously it’s frustrating. Now that we know we can’t achieve what we set out to do here, it’s obviously very disappointing. It’s quite simple for me that Australia have been able to bat, bowl and field a lot more than us on a much more consistent basis,” Stokes told the post-match press conference.
Ashes, AUS vs ENG, 3rd Test: Day 5 Highlights | Scorecard
“We know the plans that work here. We just haven’t been able to execute those plans for long enough. We’ve done it in moments and we’ve done it in passages, but you can’t be as consistent with execution as we’ve been in these first three games – and especially with the ball because when you’re here it’s punished and we’ve seen that,” Stokes added.
On Day 5 of the Adelaide Test, England were bowled out for 352 chasing a daunting target of 435. Jamie Smith, Will Jacks and Brydon Carse put up some resistance with knocks of 60, 47 and 39, but their efforts ultimately proved futile.
England will look to arrest their poor run in Australia when the Boxing Day Test begins at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26. The New Year’s Test is scheduled to begin on January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
December 21, 2025
