- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 02 Jan 2026 08:39 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ashes 2026: England skipper Ben Stokes has come out in support of head coach Brendon McCullum before the 5th Test match, which will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, highlighting how important their partnership is even after losing the series. Stokes revealed that he wants McCullum to stay as England's head coach but admitted that their loss in this Ashes needs to be reviewed.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Brendon and I are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have worked with Brendon. I cannot see there being someone else who I could take this team with from where we are now to even bigger heights," Stokes told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
“So for us as captain and coach, when we do have the time off, we need to put our heads together and go, What is it that we think we need to do to go to the next level?’ " he said.
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Brendon McCullum became England's Test coach in 2022 and then became head coach of the white-ball team last year. He became the head coach to help the Test team and thus began the Bazball era.
They had won 10 of their 11 Test matches under Stokes and McCullum, but have played inconsistently after them. In the last 34 Tests, they have won 16 and lost as many, and two matches ended in draws.
In the ongoing Test series, they are trailing by 3-1 and will try to end the series on a high note by winning the last match.