England captain Ben Stokes has expressed strong support for head coach Brendon McCullum to stay in his role, despite the team’s loss of the Ashes series in Australia.
Stokes and McCullum took charge together in 2022. This tour was seen as a key test of their leadership, but England lost the first three Tests, conceding the series early. They bounced back with a victory in the fourth Test at Melbourne, their first win on Australian soil in nearly 15 years, with the fifth and final Test set to begin in Sydney on Sunday (23:30 GMT Saturday).
Both Stokes and McCullum have contracts running until 2027 and have indicated their desire to continue beyond this tour.
While Stokes is widely regarded as England’s ideal captain and likely to lead into the home summer, questions may arise over McCullum’s position and that of cricket director Rob Key.
“I have no doubt that Brendon and I are the right duo to lead this team forward in the coming years,” Stokes said.
When asked if he and the New Zealand-born McCullum form an inseparable partnership, Stokes added: “I struggle to picture anyone else stepping in to guide this side from its current position to greater successes.”
This series defeat continues England’s poor record in away Ashes contests, with their last triumph in Australia dating back to 2010-11, the only success there since 1986.
Past heavy losses in Australia have often triggered major overhauls in England’s setup; Stokes and McCullum were appointed after a 4-0 thrashing four years earlier.
“We haven’t won an Ashes series here since 2010-11, and reactions to those failures have led to changes that haven’t ultimately solved the problem,” Stokes noted. “There are decision-makers above me. Previous tours haven’t gone well, but repeating the drastic resets of the past would likely land us in the same spot again.”
McCullum is scheduled to coach England at next month’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, so any review of his role is expected to wait until after that event.
Stokes added that he would expect to be involved in discussions about potential leadership changes.
“No one knows if changes are coming, but we’re both committed to continuing our work,” he said.
Under Stokes and McCullum, England started strongly, winning 10 of their first 11 Tests, though results have levelled off since. In their last 34 Tests, they have 16 wins, 16 losses, and two draws, without securing a major five-Test series win against Australia or India.
McCullum took on oversight of England’s white-ball sides at the start of 2025. Since then, the Test team has won just four of 10 matches, including a routine series victory over Zimbabwe in May.
Director Rob Key has suggested the pre-tour white-ball commitments in New Zealand hampered Ashes preparation, though he stood by the scheduling.
Stokes, however, dismissed concerns that McCullum’s expanded responsibilities have impacted the Test side.
“He’s handling both roles now, but it hasn’t affected our dynamic with the Test group at all,” Stokes said.
England have announced a 12-man squad for the Sydney Test, including spinner Shoaib Bashir and paceman Matthew Potts.
The team will make at least one change after fast bowler **Gus Atkinson** was ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained in Melbourne.
Bashir hasn’t played since July due to a finger injury suffered against India, while Potts last featured over a year ago against New Zealand in December 2024.
“He’s been around the squad,” Stokes said of Potts. “He made a strong early impression in Tests, but his role has evolved. With Gus sidelined, this creates an opening for someone new.”
Australia may make up to two adjustments, potentially bringing in specialist spinner Todd Murphy for seamer Jhye Richardson, and possibly swapping all-rounder Beau Webster for Cameron Green.
