Even as the T20 World Cup plays out in India and Sri Lanka, English cricket fans are no doubt still smarting from their Ashes hiding.
The 4-1 series defeat was as wide as that margin suggests, but it’s the culture of ‘Bazball’ – the playing philosophy of head coach Brendan McCullum – that has riled as many critics as the result itself.
England’s ultra-aggressive vibe came unstuck once again as batsmen gave their wickets away when well placed, while the bowlers’ inability to bowl consistently tidy lines and lengths – and being expensive accordingly – has also come under scrutiny.
Test series against New Zealand and Pakistan are to follow in the summer of 2026… it’s make-or-break for England’s much-maligned new era.
Home and Away
Historically, the home team in an Ashes series has enjoyed a significant advantage – only twice in the past 25 years has the away side prevailed.
And yet, Australia are priced at even money in the Ashes odds for the 2027 series, despite England (7/5) being on home soil.
Those betting on cricket will be keeping a very close eye on proceedings this summer, as Ben Stokes’ side take on a pair of opponents ranked two and four places below them respectively in the ICC rankings.
England are unbeaten in three test campaigns against New Zealand, winning 3-0 the last time they hosted the Kiwis and also claiming the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy with a 2-1 victory in their 2024/25 meetings.
GET IN! 🦁
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 14, 2025
Final day Test match wins ❤️
What an incredible contest! 💪
We move into a 2-1 series lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/CzmMlF5Aui
Pakistan haven’t won a test series in England since 1996, so there will be no excuses for Stokes’ side this summer… nor anywhere to hide if things don’t go according to the script.
The summer of 2026 could represent the last stand for Stokes, McCullum and Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket in England. Will they find themselves under internal pressure to rip up their playbook and start again?
All Change
Stokes has spoken of evolution, rather than revolution, in the wake of their Ashes debacle.
But the numbers don’t stack up for the likes of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, the top-order batsmen who each averaged less than 30 for the series.
Brydon Carse emerged from the Ashes campaign as England’s leading wicket taker, but an economy rate of 4.81 confirms that there were genuine issues with hitting the right areas of the pitch often enough.
Pope will almost certainly miss out on the first test against New Zealand, while Crawley and Duckett will presumably be warned that they are drinking in the last chance saloon – perhaps not the best choice of phrase, given the criticism of England’s pre-match preparations in Australia.
Stokes and McCullum have backed their under-performing players to the hilt, but in doing so have created something of a closed shop to outside selection – if England suffered a glut of injuries, for example, they would have to call up debutants or those that have barely played test cricket in years as replacements.
Pleasure has been all mine. No regrets 🏴 pic.twitter.com/kzUKsnNehy
— Chris Woakes (@chriswoakes) September 29, 2025
So who comes in for a Crawley or a Duckett or a Carse? Joe Root, at 35, is into the autumn of his career, while doubts over the long-term fitness of Jofra Archer – allied to the retirement of Chris Woakes – have left a bare cupboard in the bowling department.
The lack of a top-class spinner was evident in the Ashes, while Jamie Smith’s previously invincible position as wicketkeeper-batsman unravelled in the midst of Aussie hellfire.
This England test team has more questions about it than answers, that’s for sure. Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether Stokes, McCullum and Key see out 2026 as the main men behind the madness?
