Plenty has been written over the past few years about England’s change of style under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
Heading into this summer, England had ten Tests to prove that their infamous ‘Bazball’ strategy could deliver the goods against the world’s top teams.
After coming frustratingly close to defeating India, England will now head to Australia for a series which will ultimately define the McCullum and Stokes era.
For fans looking to bet on The Ashes, odds of 11/5 to regain The Ashes may seem like a tempting proposition for a team which has shown significant improvement.
While there is no shame in drawing 2-2 with India, the five-match series on home soil felt like a missed opportunity for England.
They have now played three series against India and Australia under McCullum and Stokes and won none of them. The 2025/26 Ashes series is make-or-break for them.
McCullum acknowledged after the series against India that the team needs to improve and that is probably an understatement given their recent Test record in Australia.
They have lost 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0 on their most recent visits to Australia and it would be a brave move to wager on them emerging victorious on this occasion.
Despite this, McCullum was happy with how the team performed against India and believes they can head to Australia in a confident mood.
“It’s been a magnificent series – as good as I’ve been involved with or witnessed in my time,” McCullum said (h/t the Independent).
“We played some excellent cricket and at times, with the pressure India put us under, we came up a little bit short. You’re always learning any time you get to see guys having to dig deep and go to places they’ve maybe not been before.
“We’ll let this one sit and we’ll digest it. We’ll be able to pick out what has gone well then start to work out how we can keep improving, so when we do arrive out in Australia, we give ourselves a huge chance.
“We’re in the middle now, halfway through what we knew was going to be an unbelievable twelve months of Test cricket. We know we’ve got some room to improve.
“But to be involved in a series of such pressure over a period like this teaches you to be tough and builds resilience within you. A lot of our guys will have learnt a lot and that can only be a good thing.”
Stokes will undoubtedly be crucial to England’s hopes of upsetting the odds in Australia, and his recent injury record is a major cause for concern.
He has broken down in three of his last eleven matches, twice with hamstring issues and once with a shoulder injury. England cannot afford a repeat in Australia.
Although The Ashes schedule is less strenuous with more time in between each match, Stokes will need to be carefully managed if England are to have any chance of winning.
Stokes has repeatedly downplayed his importance to the team, yet it cannot be ignored that they play better when he is in the line-up.
He has deservedly earned his status as England’s talisman, but would enhance that reputation if he can lead England to an Ashes victory in Australia.
McCullum and Stokes had big plans for England when they joined forces and they now have the chance to leave a lasting legacy on the Test stage.
Australia are always a tough nut to crack on their own patch, but England’s overall performances against India should send them into battle with belief they can cause plenty of problems.
