Stokes Admits England Have Been ‘Poor’ but Commits to Continuing as Captain

Ben Stokes has admitted England have been “poor” across the first three Tests of the Ashes but insists he remains fully committed to continuing as Test captain, despite Australia sealing the series in a record-equalling 11 days.

England’s hopes of becoming the first team to win an away Ashes since 2010–11 have been emphatically ended after defeats by eight wickets in Perth and Brisbane, followed by an 85-run loss in Adelaide. Speaking after the third Test, Stokes conceded his side had been unable to withstand Australia’s sustained pressure.

“It obviously sucks,” Stokes said. “Knowing now that we can’t achieve what we set out to do here is very disappointing. Australia have been able to execute batting, bowling and fielding a lot better than us for a much more consistent period of time.”

Stokes, who has been England’s Test captain since 2022, recently signed a new two-year central contract that runs through to the end of the 2027 English summer. He said his desire to lead the team remains unchanged.

“Absolutely, I still want to captain,” he said. “Nothing has changed from the start of the tour in terms of my future in international cricket.”

While England have had occasional strong passages, Stokes highlighted inconsistency—particularly with the ball—as a major factor in their downfall.

“We know the plans that work out here,” he said. “We’ve just not been able to execute them for long enough. When you’re off in Australia, you get punished, and we’ve seen that.”

England have also tempered the ultra-attacking batting style that defined the early phase of Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s leadership, scoring at a noticeably slower rate than Australia in the series. Stokes defended England’s identity, but Australia captain Pat Cummins suggested England’s approach had fluctuated.

“They seem to have changed their style quite a bit game to game,” Cummins said. “That can happen in overseas conditions when you’re searching for a method that works.”

Cummins pointed to England’s conservative batting on the second day in Adelaide, when they scored 154 for 5 in 54 overs on a flat pitch in extreme heat. Stokes himself batted cautiously, making an unbeaten 45 off 151 balls before accelerating the following morning.

Despite the series defeat, Stokes insisted England still have plenty to play for in the remaining two Tests.

“Walking out there and playing for England is a good enough thing in itself,” he said. “We’re not going to turn around and kick the stumps over. There’s still a hell of a lot to play for.”

Stokes argued that England produced their best performance of the tour in Adelaide, where late resistance from Will Jacks and Jamie Smith briefly threatened an unlikely final-day turnaround. He also pointed to the toss—won by Australia for the first time in the series—as a key factor in the match.

“We bowled Australia out for an under-par total on a day-one wicket,” Stokes said. “We knew we were ahead of the game then. We got ourselves back into the contest, but being close isn’t enough when you need to win.”

Acknowledging the emotional toll of the defeat, Stokes said England would look to learn from the Adelaide Test as they regroup ahead of the remaining matches.

“When we sit down and speak about what we need to do in the remaining games, we’ll take a lot out of this,” he said. “This is about applying ourselves better and becoming a more consistent team.”