Ben Stokes wants McCullum to stay as England coach despite Ashes loss
Ben Stokes has said he has no doubt he wants Brendon McCullum alongside him as the England head coach, but accepted the Ashes defeat means the pair must sit down before the summer and work out how they can upgrade the team,Senior figures at the England and Wales Cricket Board are wary of making sweeping changes and with Stokes seemingly safe, McCullum’s fate as head coach probably rests on his endorsement,With the fifth Ashes Test starting on Sunday, Stokes warned against ripping up the current regime and suggested the New Zealander will be getting his support – even if, at 3-1 down with one to play, the final scoreline and tenor is still to be established,He said: “There is no doubt in my mind me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future,“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve worked with Brendon.
I can’t see there being someone else who I could take this team [with] from where we are now to even bigger heights.“So for us as captain and coach, when we do have the time off, we need to put our heads together and go ‘What is it that we think we need to do to go to the next level?’”Even if the pair’s continuation is signed off – a decision on McCullum’s future may also hinge on the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka that starts on 7 February – an internal review into the Ashes campaign will look into pre-series preparation and training on tour.It will also delve into the make-up of the backroom staff, including whether enough technical expertise is being offered to players.As it stands, there is no fielding coach or wicketkeeping mentor, while David Saker, the bowling consultant, is on a short-term deal.Rob Key, similarly under scrutiny as the England men’s team director, has admitted McCullum’s preference for a pared-back coaching set-up may have hindered the team in Australia.
Key’s investigation into the mid-tour break in Noosa has not thrown up any examples of wrongdoing by players, but the team culture – including alcohol consumption – and the cost-to-value ratio of such McCullum-led extracurricular activities will also be examined.Stokes said: “You look back at how things have gone over the last year, the results and the consistency hasn’t quite been there from the first two and a half to three years we were in charge.“All we’ve ever wanted to do is constantly push the guys and not wanting to stand still.We’ve got some things to go away and speak about and try to get the boys pushing even further forward than we managed to achieve since me and Brendon first took over.”Perhaps the biggest change in that time is McCullum taking on the white-ball teams as part of a contract extension to the end of 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Stokes said: “He has got two jobs,[But] it has not influenced the relationship we have with this Test team whatsoever,”Nevertheless, the Test team’s results have tailed off since McCullum took on the extra roles at the start of 2025, with England winning 22 out of 35 matches beforehand and four out of 10 after – including a 2-2 draw at home to India and the disappointment of this tour,The one-day side has won four and lost 11 in this time – including a group stage exit from the Champions Trophy last year – but the T20 side has eight wins and five defeats going into a World Cup that could have ramifications for the setup at the top,
Sydney’s tradition of goodbyes coincides with Bazball reckoning
As well as being a bucket list venue for players and supporters, the Sydney Cricket Ground has a reputation in England as the ground of the one-cap wonders. This is based on Mason Crane, Scott Borthwick and Boyd Rankin getting a go at the end of recent Ashes tours, rather than anything more historically substantial.If anything, as the traditional scene for the final Test of the Australian summer, the SCG is more like the Oval – the ground where careers often come to an end. And on Friday, surrounded by his family and with a fair bit to get off his chest, Usman Khawaja confirmed the final instalment of this Ashes series, starting on Sunday, will be his international farewell.Amusingly, there was a brief panic in the afternoon when it was announced that Steve Smith, like Khawaja a day earlier, was bringing forward his press conference
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To see what Callum Chick brings to any side he plays in, watch the 55th minute of Northampton’s electrifying win at the Rec last Saturday. Henry Arundell is speeding down the Bath right, nearly into Saints’ 22, after a defensive error by Henry Pollock. A try for the champions looks a certainty before the flanker desperately dives at Arundell and dislodges the ball from his grasp.A dextrous pick-up by George Hendy allows him to sprint downfield before setting up Pollock to dive over – 13 seconds after Arundell was threatening at the other end.“I showed that clip [to the squad] a couple of times,” said Northampton’s director of rugby, Phil Dowson, while preparing to meet Harlequins at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday
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When Ingrid LeFebour woke up on a concrete slab, covered in a sheet in the morgue on the remote Indonesian island of Nias in 1976, she had no idea how she got there.Nor did anyone else know her fate – some believed she had died in bizarre circumstances.LeFebour’s disappearance features prominently in the film Point of Change, which chronicles the “discovery” of Nias by Australian surfers in the 1970s and the often dubious consequences for the local community.So when Point of Change had its first screening in Fremantle last month, there was one person no one expected to be among the audience – LeFebour herself.“It was a bit bizarre, actually, when I found out,” LeFebour says
Ben Stokes wants McCullum to stay as England coach despite Ashes loss
Ben Stokes has said he has no doubt he wants Brendon McCullum alongside him as the England head coach, but accepted the Ashes defeat means the pair must sit down before the summer and work out how they can upgrade the team.Senior figures at the England and Wales Cricket Board are wary of making sweeping changes and with Stokes seemingly safe, McCullum’s fate as head coach probably rests on his endorsement.With the fifth Ashes Test starting on Sunday, Stokes warned against ripping up the current regime and suggested the New Zealander will be getting his support – even if, at 3-1 down with one to play, the final scoreline and tenor is still to be established. He said: “There is no doubt in my mind me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future.“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve worked with Brendon
Ian Balding, trainer of legendary Derby winner Mill Reef, dies aged 87
Ian Balding, who trained the brilliant Mill Reef to win the Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1971 and later saddled the hugely popular sprinter Lochsong to a series of big-race victories, has died at the age of 87, his family said in a statement on Friday.“We are deeply sorry to share the sad news that Ian Balding has passed away,” they said on the Instagram page for their Park House Stables. “A wonderful family man, a hugely successful racehorse trainer and a brilliant sportsman. He will be greatly missed by all at Park House.”This article includes content provided by Instagram
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