England captain Ben Stokes strongly supported the head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the final Test of the 2025-26 Ashes at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Even though England have already lost the series, Stokes made it clear that he still believes in McCullum and feels their partnership is very important for the team’s future.Stokes said he had no doubt McCullum wanted to remain England head coach. At the same time, he accepted that losing the Ashes means for both of them they need to take a hard look at what went wrong and find ways to improve the team.
Ahead of the Sydney Test, Stokes said: “I have no doubt that Brendon and I are the right people to continue doing this in the near future. I really enjoyed the time I spent working with Brendon.” I can’t imagine there being anyone else I could work with to take this team from where we are to even greater heights.”He added that both the captain and the coach are responsible for raising the level of the team. “So when we have time off as captain and coach, we have to put our heads together and ask ourselves, ‘What do we think we need to do to get to the next level?’” Stokes said.Brendon McCullum took over as manager of the England men’s Test team in May 2022. His appointment marked the beginning of the aggressive and positive style of play known as “Bazball”. The approach brought quick success and in 2024 McCullum was appointed England’s all-format coach. He officially began managing both Test and white-ball teams in January 2025.Under Stokes and McCullum, England got off to a strong start. They won 10 of their first 11 Test matches together, raising expectations. However, results since then have been inconsistent. In the last 34 Tests, England have won 16 and lost 16, with two games ending in a draw. They have also failed to win a major five-Test series against traditional rivals Australia or India.In the current Ashes series, England trails Australia 3-1. With the trophy already out of reach, England want to end the tour on a positive note. The final Test begins on January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Stokes and his team will be aiming for a win.
