England’s three wise men turned out to be the three stooges. Brendon McCullum, Rob Key and Ben Stokes sold a lie for three years.

Kevin Pietersen recommended England to bring back a former coach to replace Brendon McCullum as Test coach following their poor performance in the Ashes 2025-26. England lost the series 1-4.

A "much bigger conversation" needs to be had about cricket's drinking culture, says former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior. England suffered a dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat by Australia and their behaviour - as well as the team culture - has been scrutinised throughout.

The Telegraph’s Nick Hoult declared the series “will be remembered as English cricket’s great missed opportunity” and “cause a lifetime of regret for some”, writing that “underprepared England players shrivelled under pressure when it mattered, playing too many risky shots, bowling too short and dropping catches”.

England arrived in Perth in November with big ambitions of a rare Ashes win on Australian soil but were outplayed for most of the five Test matches and leave empty handed

Matthew Potts – 1 – Probably harsh, given the hand he was dealt. His sole appearance in Sydney was tough to watch. Mistreated by England – in and out, ignored for a year, then dropped into an Ashes Test. Will surely slip further down the pecking order.