Ashes: Despite series loss, Ben Stokes keen to lead England in future

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes vowed on 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.

"Definitely, I'm as keen as anything to carry on," he said after defeat in the fifth and final Test in Sydney. "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," he added.

Stokes said he expected New Zealander McCullum to still be in the job when they next play a Test in June. "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. "I absolutely love working with Baz. He's a great man and he's a very, very, very good coach," he added. McCullum agreed there were "areas to improve" but said he won't be told what to do. "I will look at it individually and say, ‘What could I have done better?'," he told the BBC. "Am I for being told what to do? Of course I am not."

Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board said it had launched an immediate and "thorough" review. ECB chief executive Richard Gould released a statement calling the team's failure to regain the Ashes "deeply disappointing".

"We will take many lessons from this tour and are determined to improve quickly. Our focus is on regaining the Ashes in 2027," Gould said.

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