Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes England need to win the 2025-26 fifth Test of the Ashes for Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes to continue in their roles. The Three Lions have already lost the series 1–3 and will be looking to salvage some pride by winning the final Test to be played in Sydney from January 4.
The Ben Stokes-led side managed to save themselves from a whitewash by recording a rare win on Australian soil after almost 15 years in Melbourne. However, Vaughan believes the win was largely a lottery given the Test match was completed over two days. He believes England must finish the series on a high the future of both Stokes and McCullum.
“I think it’s a massive game for England (in Sydney). It’s nice to win cricket, but let’s be honest, it was a complete lottery in Melbourne. It wasn’t the right game of Test cricket. For the future, and especially for this management, he needs to win strong cricket that’s not two-day,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morningal.
Vaughan added that discussions about the futures of Stokes and McCullum will begin if England again end up on the wrong side of a result in Sydney.
“For this management to continue, the likes of Ben and Baz – I’m pretty sure they will continue – but I think they need a good week to be absolutely rock solid. There’s a huge appetite in the group to keep (McCullum). But fundamentally, if they get pounded in sydney we need some honest conversations,” Vaughan added.
Since Brendon McCullum took over as England head coach, the team has won 26 of their 45 Tests, including a historic 3-0 series sweep in Pakistan. Stokes and McCullum boast a win percentage of 57 per cent, a marked improvement on the previous regime under Joe Root, who led England to 27 wins from 64 matches during his captaincy.
England are currently seventh in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table for the ongoing 2025–2027 cycle. After the 2025–26 Ashes, they will play New Zealand and Pakistan at home in three Tests each and tour South Africa for three Tests and Bangladesh for two Tests.
The Three Lions have failed to qualify for the WTC finals in the previous two editions and another setback in the ongoing cycle could force the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to make tough decisions about the futures of Stokes and McCullum.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 1, 2026
