Ben Stokes, “very disappointed” after two consecutive defeats, has urged his team to regroup quickly ahead of the remaining matches.
England were swept away inside two days in Perth, and although they showed more fight in Brisbane, they ultimately had no answer to Australia’s dominance. Stokes believes repeated collapses under pressure have been the biggest factor behind their back-to-back heavy defeats. Still, the England captain refuses to see his team as weak and has demanded an immediate response.
England’s tour of Australia started poorly. They were thrashed within two days in the opening Test, failing to reach even 200 in either innings.
In the day-night Test at the Gabba, England posted 334 in their first innings thanks to a Joe Root century. Their bowlers also performed well, but a string of dropped catches prevented them from applying pressure — something Stokes expressed regret over. Australia, despite not having a single century, still amassed 511.
Trailing by 177, England collapsed again in their second innings. Facing the threat of an innings defeat, they avoided that scenario thanks to a fifty from Stokes and a useful knock from Will Jacks. But Australia were left with a target of just 65, which they chased down inside 10 overs.
England now trail the five-match series 2–0. They were in the same situation during the 2023 Ashes at home and still managed to fight back to finish the series 2–2.
But this time, even a draw won’t be enough. To reclaim the urn that has been with Australia since 2018, England must win all three remaining matches — a comeback almost unheard of in Ashes history. Only one team has ever overturned a 2–0 deficit to win the Ashes: Australia in the 1936–37 series.
Stokes knows the challenge is enormous, and believes England must show a stronger mindset to stay alive in the series.
“It’s incredibly disappointing, and the main reason is our inability to handle pressure. At times we managed to wrestle control for short periods, but then we let it slip away again. This week we did the same thing, and that’s very frustrating — especially considering the talent we have in the dressing room.”
Seeing his team crumble in pressure moments repeatedly, Stokes feels it has almost become a pattern.
“Whenever pressure moments arrive in the match, Australia perform better than us. They say Australia is no place for weak players. We’re certainly not weak, but we must find a way to win because we’re 2–0 down. There are three matches left, and we need to fix this problem fast.”
The third Test begins in Adelaide on December 17.
