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Stokes has made every attempt to lead his team with bat, ball and in the field. He is such a big part of the England dressing room that it would be a difficult task for someone else to take charge with the all-rounder in the team.
England's Ben Stokes walks from the field after he was dismissed during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
An Ashes debacle often ends careers and captains are never allowed to forget arguably their lowest points. But Ben Stokes still believes he still has what it takes to continue as England captain.
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Stokes has made every attempt to lead his team with bat, ball and in the field. He is such a big part of the England dressing room that it would be a difficult task for someone else to take charge with the all-rounder in the team. But after England lost the series with a third consecutive defeat, he said he still had the appetite for the job.
Asked whether he doubted his commitment to the job, Stokes’s succinct reply was “Nope”.
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His central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) runs till the home Ashes series in 2027, but Stokes has been affected by knee, hamstring and shoulder injuries over the last few years. Harry Brook has been appointed ODI captain, but he doesn’t possess the same aura. Any worthy replacement doesn’t seem to be on the radar at the moment.
When asked whether he still had the energy for the job, Stokes said: “Absolutely.”
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Only five England teams have won an Ashes series in Australia since World War II, and though this bunch’s shot to “create history” has failed, the skipper believes there’s still a lot to play for. The last three tours to Australia finished in scorelines of 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0, and Stokes wouldn’t like to follow in that dubious tradition.
“Knowing now that we can’t achieve what we set out to do here is obviously very disappointing,” he said. “It’s a pretty emotional time for me in the dressing room and the guys, players, management, backroom staff. We will take a lot out of this game about how we can maybe apply ourselves to give us a better chance of being a much more consistent cricket team.”
Winning a Test in either Melbourne or Sydney would automatically make it a statistically more successful tour than the last three, though the bar has been set very low and the expectations this time were much higher. Despite the destination of the urn already decided, a lot of fans are expected to arrive in Australia from the UK over Christmas and the New Year, and there will be no shortage of support for the visiting team.
“Walking out there and playing for England is a good enough thing in itself. We’re not going to turn around and kick the stumps over because we have so much more to play for in the series,” the England captain added.
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