England's quest for an Ashes series win Down Under had been finished at Adelaide itself. After snapping an 18-Test winless run in Australia at Melbourne, pride was all England had left to play for. Besides scintillating centuries from Joe Root and Jacob Bethell and a fine 84 in the first inn
Ben Stokes and McCullum revitalised England's Test cricket after taking charge as captain and head coach, respectively, in 2022, ushering in an aggressive, fearless brand of play. However, despite a below-par Ashes campaign, Stokes has thrown his full support behind McCullum.
While bowlers have thrived, the success has overwhelmingly belonged to the fast men. Spin has had a minimal role throughout the series, with 130.3 overs delivered by spinners across four Tests. The Melbourne Test, which ended inside two days, did not see a single over of spin bowled, a rarit
England skipper Ben Stokes breaks down England's MCG win as pretty special as the tourists finally ended a 15-year wait for a Test win on Australian soil
England's attacking 'Bazball' approach as a batting unit did not pay them any dividends in the first two Ashes Tests. At the same time, they faced a helpless, two-day loss at Perth, courtesy of a Travis Head form; none of their batters, except centurion Joe Root, Zak Crawley and skipper Ben
England captain Ben Stokes says he is ready to accept criticism calling England's showing in the opening Test rubbish, but believes describing his team as arrogant goes a step too far
England captain Ben Stokes has said that his team would not take baggage from the defeat in the first Test in Perth, which the team lost within two days due to some exceptional performance by Australian batters.
England captain Ben Stokes admitted that he was a little "shellshocked" after watching Travis Head play one of the greatest innings in Ashes history in Australia's dominating eight-wicket win in the opening Test at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday.
Stokes joins an elite group with former England skippers George Allen, John William Douglas, Frederick Brown, and Robert Willis. Stokes finished the day with a figure of 5/23 in just six overs that left Australia reeling at 123/9, still 49 runs behind England's first-innings total.
This match kickstarts the Ashes mission for a 'Bazball '-charged English unit led by Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Having not won an Ashes series in Australia since 2010/11 and on a winless streak in their past three tours Down Under, this is the best chance for England to start with a