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Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has lashed out at Ben Stokes & Co. after their 82-run defeat in the third Test against Australia in Adelaide on Sunday. Australia thumped England comfortably in Adelaide to record their third straight victory and clinch the Ashes 2025-26 with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Taking a dig at England's Bazball approach, Boycott called for a change in leadership as Australia retained the urn with their series victory. Boycott said hubris has taken over from common sense in the England side as he reckoned the Bazball approach has gone stale and the experiment needs to be stopped.
While he credited McCullum and Stokes for transforming the way England played Test cricket since taking over as the head coach and the captain of the side, respectively in 2023, Boycott insisted England has failed to live up to the hype. While England have managed to pull off some remarkable results under Stokes and McCullum, they have failed to perform against top sides like Australia and India.
England were thrashed 4-1 when they played a Test series in India last year and have lost three consecutive matches in the ongoing Ashes 2025-26. At home, they drew against Australia in 2024, before playing a 2-2 draw against India earlier this year.
"A lot of credit should go to Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes for what they have done for our cricket, but it is obvious that Bazball has run its race," Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
"Hubris has taken over from common sense, and that cannot be allowed to carry on. Stokes and McCullum are like men digging a hole to nowhere. If what you are doing isn’t working, then stop digging. Change is absolutely necessary to step up to the next level. What would I do? Change the coach. We are tired of this duo talking a good game but not delivering against the best teams so Rob Key, it is time for you to assert yourself," he added.
Boycott also slammed the current England Test players for disrespecting former cricketers and their views regarding improvement in the current side. The former England cricketer urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to tighten the knuckle and hold the players accountable for the poor results in the longest format.
"Our players are disrespectful to past great England cricketers and their helpful views. They are wrapped in cotton wool and overpaid. Time to get tougher with them because their way hasn’t won anything in three years," said Boycott.
England have been woeful in the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 as Australia managed to wrap up the series in just 12 days of cricket across the first three Test matches. Despite missing the likes of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in the first two games, Australia dominated the proceedings and won both matches by 8 wickets, respectively.
In the third Test in Adelaide, England managed to produce some fight and were close to securing a draw on Day 5 on Sunday. However, Mitchell Starc ended Jamie Smith's resistance before running through the tail to secure a third straight victory for the hosts in the five-match series.
