Ashes vote: Should Brendon McCullum stay on as head coach? Ben Stokes to remain captain? Is Jamie Smith England's best Test keeper?

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At the end of a chastening 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men's Ashes series for England, it's your chance to vote on the big questions surrounding their side. The tourists lost in the fifth and final Test in Sydney as Australia wrapped up a 4-1 overall win. Should there be changes at the top of the England hierarchy? And what of the playing personnel, with question marks over the likes of Jamie Smith?

Highlights: Australia overcome wobble to wrap up 4-1 Ashes victory

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The Ashes is over, and England are set for another painful post-mortem following their 4-1 series humbling.

Bright spots have been few and far between as Ben Stokes' men ended up well beaten in Australia, with question marks around their preparation - both before and during the tour - and issues over playing personnel brought into sharp relief.

As the wreckage of another difficult tour down under begins to be pored over, it's your chance to have your say on where England's Test side goes from here.

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Who carries the can?

England losing heavily down under is not a new thing, but this time - according to Sir Alastair Cook - it felt like "the one that got away", with the Australia team heavily weakened and Stokes' touring side appearing better equipped than many previous iterations.

So why the chasm in terms of results? Was it the lack of requisite preparation? Were there selection errors, with Josh Tongue only appearing from the third Test onwards, taking 18 wickets at an average of 20, and fifth Test centurion Jacob Bethell only coming in for the final two Tests?

‘I’m keen to carry on’ - McCullum reflects on Ashes loss

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Questions will be asked of the England men's hierarchy, with managing director Rob Key likely to come under similar scrutiny to head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Stokes, even if the latter two have said they wanted to continue in their roles.

What, in your view, should happen to these three figures?

New keeper after Smith woes?

One of the most alarming features of England's tour was the discrepancy between wicket-keepers, with Australia's Alex Carey so impressive not just with the bat, but also turning in a near-flawless series behind the stumps, especially when standing up to the likes of Scott Boland and Michael Neser.

By contrast, Jamie Smith had a difficult tour, dropping a vital catch at the Gabba in the second Test, and making what former England bowler Steven Finn labeled a "brainless" decision in the fifth Test that summed up his struggles with the bat.

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	Runs	Average	WK dismissals
Jamie Smith	211	23.44	15
Alex Carey	323	46.14	28

With the Surrey gloveman dropped for England's T20I World Cup squad, could other candidates come into the frame in the Test arena?

Ben Foakes continues to hold the gloves for Surrey, but with England moving on from him for Smith in 2024, revisiting that decision seems unlikely.

Jordan Cox could be an option, with the Essex keeper-batter - who missed out on his England Test debut last winter due to a broken finger - winning the coveted PCA men's player of the year award for 2025.

Or might Phil Salt, so impressive for England in white-ball cricket, be a left-field, Bazball-style choice?

The spin conundrum

England went five Tests in Australia without playing a specialist spinner, with Shoaib Bashir - in whom so much time was invested over the last couple of years - not featuring once.

England maintained that he was their first-choice tweaker, but even in Sydney on a turning pitch and the series gone, he was left out, with Will Jacks preferred.

Perhaps this comes back to England's lack of preparation, with Bashir playing no competitive cricket since breaking his finger last summer against India.

Can he find some overs and some rhythm after reportedly signing a county contract with Derbyshire for next season?

Or are there other options England should consider, such as Jack Leach - namechecked by Nathan Lyon ahead of the Ashes as England's best spinner - Liam Dawson, or Rehan Ahmed?

Opening pairing

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have turned in some electric displays at the top of the order for England in the last few years, but they managed a highest partnership this Ashes series of just 51, regularly exposing their top-order batters to fresh Australian bowlers.

Their series averages hint at their struggles, with Crawley ending on 27.30 and Duckett on 20.20, and just two fifties between them - both to Crawley.

Is the time now for England to explore different Test openers?

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