Australia beat England in Ashes 2025-26: Former England pacer James Anderson has come up with heavy criticism of the current skipper Ben Stokes and the other team players after their embarrassing defeat in the Ashes 2025-26 against Australia. Australia defeated England 4-1 in the five-match series to retain the Ashes.
Anderson didn't hold back while recalling England's Ashes campaign and went on to slam the comments made by Stokes praising bowlers Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse for their effort and consistency. Anderson said that 'running' should be the bare minimum for every cricketer, saying ‘you are in the wrong sport’ if you can’t hack that.
"When I saw Stokes come out and say, the way (Josh) Tongue and (Brydon) Carse have just run in like consistently, I had a Roy Keane moment," Anderson said on BBC Radio. "I was like, that’s your job. If you’re not willing to run in all day for your team, don’t bother. You’re in the wrong sport."
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Anderson, who is England's all-time leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, made an interesting point, saying that making an effort should never be termed as something special. According to him, giving full effort should come naturally to every player who represents their country. The 43-year-old, while giving an example of Australia's senior pacer Mitchell Starc, said it always annoys him when players are praised just for trying hard, as that should already be part of the job.
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"Starc, for me, was the absolute standout of the series. He bowled on Day 5 of the final Test as quickly as he had bowled all series long. He was consistent with his speeds. But that is what you expect from all your bowlers. That is the standard. It always annoys me when someone says, ‘can’t fault your efforts’. Well, the effort shouldn’t be a thing. It should just be in you," he added.
Australia completely outclassed England in all departments, and their victory in the series seemed more dominant considering the unavailability of some of their key players. Josh Hazlewood missed the entire series due to injury, while regular captain Pat Cummins played only one Test. Despite these absences, Australia were far superior.