Sydney, January 03: England captain Ben Stokes has appealed to maintain faith in head coach Brendon McCullum despite the crushing defeat in the Ashes series in Australia. Stokes asked the England Cricket Board (ECB) to avoid any hasty decisions and supported moving forward with a ‘baseball’ philosophy. The five-match Ashes series was being considered as the biggest test for the duo of captain Stokes and coach McCullum. After coming together in the year 2022, both of them promoted a new style of aggressive cricket. Although the England team had arrived on the Australia tour with high expectations, they fell 3-0 within just 11 days. Despite this, by winning the Melbourne Test, England ended the 15-year winning drought in Australia. Questions are being raised about McCullum’s future before the final Test to be played in Sydney on Sunday. Responding to this, Stokes said that he wants to continue working with McCullum. Quoting the British media, Stokes said, “I have no doubt in my mind that Brendon and I are the right people to take this team forward in the times to come. I don’t think anyone else can take this team from where it is to greater heights. We are both fully committed to continuing the work that we are doing.” The team’s results and consistency have now declined compared to the initial phase, but he expressed confidence in improving it. He said, “We have to discuss some things so that the players can perform even better than before. Since Brendon and I took over the responsibility, in the journey so far, we have to improve in some areas to move forward.” Stokes also spoke openly about the pressure of the Ashes tour. He admitted that it was very tiring to protect himself and the players from the constant monitoring of the media and social media. Stokes said, “We expected it and we had also prepared for it. I have been here many times before, but this time the pressure was more than ever. Social media and media have changed so much now that it is impossible to stay away from them completely.” The only way is to throw the phone in the river, but I love playing games on my phone, so I can’t do that. The final Test of the Ashes series between England and Australia will be played in Sydney from Sunday.
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