'Too much 3/10 cricket' - Ben Stokes says England did 'damage to ourselves' as he questions his side's approach in 'big moments' amid Ashes humbling
By Sanjay Suri
Published 08/01/2026 at 07:14 GMT
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England captain Ben Stokes felt his side has become too predictable to play against after suffering a heavy loss to Australia in the Ashes. He believes their playing style did damage to their chances, as well as lamenting inconsistent umpiring decisions as technology was brought into question. He and head coach Brendon McCullum reiterated their desire to carry on in their respective roles.
‘We’ve done a lot of damage to ourselves’ - Stokes looks back on Ashes loss
Video credit: TNT Sports
England captain Ben Stokes conceded his side had done the damage to themselves as they slumped to a 4-1 series defeat in the NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes.
Australia cruised to a five-wicket win in Sydney, capping off a miserable tour for England, even if the final Test did show some shoots of life as Jacob Bethell starred.
Stokes questioned the approach of his side throughout the series in "big moments" as he urged "honesty" in the wake of their heavy defeat.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Stokes said: "Teams are understanding how to operate against us as a team. When we seem to get into situations where, with the bat, things look very easy.
"The opposition are doing a lot of the same things to us now, and we need to work out what we do in those situations a lot better.
"We play too much 3/10 cricket in terms of the chances coming off and when you play cricket like that, the likelihood is it’s not going to fall your way in big moments.
"I’ve just seen it happen quite a lot throughout this series. I think we can all be very honest as a team that we have done the damage to ourselves."
Stokes also lamented inconsistencies in the umpiring as ‘Snicko’ once again made headlines on the final day.
England reviewed an appeal for caught behind and, despite a faint spike on the screen, the third umpire ruled that Jake Weatherald had not hit the ball.
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'Brydon Carse livid' - More DRS controversy has England raging
Video credit: TNT Sports
The technology caused controversy in the third Test in Adelaide when Alex Carey survived an edge behind on review, despite later admitting he had hit the ball.
Stokes said: "It is frustrating. The technology should not be the talk of what has happened over the last eight weeks.
"You feel for the umpires on the field because they’re the ones who are copping it even though it is not their decision.
"The consistency has not been there, but that’s not the reason why we lost 4-1."
McCullum quashes speculation on his future
Meanwhile, England head coach Brendon McCullum expressed his desire to remain in charge following the disastrous tour, despite speculation about his future.
Having lost the Ashes in 11 days – a joint record – McCullum and his side’s preparation before and during the tour came under heavy scrutiny.
The former New Zealand batter retained faith in the squad as they look to bounce back in the summer.
He said: "I am keen and that’s because I believe in the progress we have made in the last three and a half years.
"While we didn’t get the ultimate prize coming down here, we have become a better cricket team.
"Ultimately, those decisions about whether you stay in your job, they’re not yours anyway.
"As far as I am concerned, I am keen to carry on and that’s because of the excitement of what we could achieve in the next couple of years."
Stokes also reiterated his wish to stay on as captain, but conceded his participation in the next Ashes tour down under could be a step too far.
The all-rounder’s career has been plagued by injury in recent years, and he will be 38 next time England try and win the Ashes in Australia.
He said: "All I can do is work very, very hard to give myself the best chance of going out there and performing for the team.
"Part of being a sportsman is putting yourself through the wringer, and sometimes you do get injured."
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