Ben Stokes vowed Thursday to stay on as England captain and said he believes coach Brendon McCullum will too, while admitting there were "wrongs to put right" after a crushing 4-1 Ashes defeat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England arrived for their long tour in November confident of a first series win in Australia since 2010-11.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But they quickly imploded, despite facing a depleted attack missing key quicks Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A two-day defeat in Perth by eight wickets and another by the same margin at the pink-ball clash in Brisbane left them reeling and in the firing line at home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
An 82-run loss in Adelaide meant the Ashes were over within three Tests, with England's ultra-aggressive "Bazball" style ruthlessly exposed by the Australian conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stokes, who was a rare bright spot for England, intends to continue as captain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Definitely, I'm as keen as anything to carry on," he said after defeat in the fifth and final Test in Sydney by five wickets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England at least won the fourth Test in Melbourne to avoid a whitewash.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I've loved having a challenge thrown at me," said Stokes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"And at the moment the challenge is getting the team back to where we once were in terms of the performances that we were delivering."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
They will face an inquisition when they get home with the England Cricket Board under pressure to act.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stokes said he expected New Zealander McCullum to still be in the job when they next play a Test in June.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I do expect him to be, but that's not my decision. If I'm asked my opinion, he'll be getting my full support and backing," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I absolutely love working with Baz. He's a great man and he's a very, very, very good coach."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
McCullum agreed there were "areas to improve" but said he won't be told what to do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I will look at it individually and say, 'What could I have done better?'," he told the BBC.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Am I for being told what to do? Of course I am not."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- Glimpse of hope -<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Whoever remains in the fallout, Stokes acknowledged they had a lot of work ahead of them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We could have played much better than what we did," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The time for reflection is not right now. We've got a long time away to reflect on it. Come June when we next play, hopefully we can put the wrongs right."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the heavy series defeat there were a few plus points for England, who lost fast bowlers Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson to injury at various points.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Seamer Josh Tongue came in and was admirable while 22-year-old Jacob Bethell produced a magnificent 154 in Sydney after replacing the out-of-form Ollie Pope.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Incredible for Beth to get his opportunity in the last game of the series," said Stokes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"To come out in the fifth game of the series and the way he batted was a terrific effort.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Josh also put in his best and bowled really well so we have good talents coming through."<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-Stokes.jpeg", "alt_img": "Ben Stokes Ashes 2025-26", "alt_title": "Stokes Vows to Lead England Back to Glory Despite 4\u20131 Ashes Loss", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Stokes Vows to Lead England Back to Glory Despite 4\u20131 Ashes Loss On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Ben Stokes confirmed he will continue as England captain after their 4\u20131 Ashes defeat, backing coach Brendon McCullum while acknowledging areas for improvement ahead of future Tests.", "seo_keywords": "Ben Stokes, Ashes 2025-26, England Cricket", "tag": null, "tagging": "Ben Stokes,Ashes 2025-26,England Cricket,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "stokes-vows-to-lead-england-back-to-glory-despite-41-ashes-loss", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "1", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "558", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2026-01-08 14:11:17", "updated": "2026-01-08 14:11:17", "img_from": "Image Source: Google", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Ben Stokes, Ashes 2025-26, England Cricket", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "1", "posted_by": "19", "jio_date": "2026-01-08 14:11:17", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": "Select", "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/stokes-vows-to-lead-england-back-to-glory-despite-41-ashes-loss-185634" }