England coach Brendon McCullum admitted his team was struggling under pressure after suffering a third consecutive defeat against Australia during the Ashes 2025-26 series. McCullum said that England did not do everything right, including his own decisions as coach, and took responsibility for the defeat.
Chasing a target of 435, England were all out for 352 on the fifth day (Sunday, December 21) at the Adelaide Oval. Australia won the series in just three test matches. With earlier wins in Perth and Brisbane, the home team retained the Ashes series in just 11 days – the fastest series decision in a century.
A lot of questions will be asked – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum accepted responsibility for the result and said that the team and his own decisions as coach failed to make an impact. McCullum said the focus now is on reviewing the mistakes and improving in areas that can give England a better chance in future series.
“I’m sure a lot of questions will be asked and rightly so. We don’t have everything perfect and I don’t have everything perfect as a coach,” he said in Test Match Special.
He said, “I put my hand up for it and I accept it and you try and work on ways that you can try… identify the things that you need to make sure you improve on to give yourself more chances.”
“I held out my hand for it.”
Brendon McCullum has questioned whether England’s preparation for the Ashes was the right approach. pic.twitter.com/dzyTO7H0qd
– Test Match Special (@bbctms) 21 December 2025
There is no exact science except… – Brendon McCullum
McCullum said England supported his usual preparation methods, which had worked for him on previous overseas tours. However, he acknowledged that the approach may not have been the right one this time and acknowledged that he could have done things differently to improve his chances.
McCullum added, “We have strong beliefs about our preparation and obviously for us it was a matter of trying to replicate what we have done in the last series, which has been successful with our preparation, away from home.”
“But maybe we didn’t get it right and I’ll admit that. There’s no exact science but obviously we didn’t win, so you go back to what could have been done or could have been done differently.”
Disappointed at losing opportunity to win Ashes – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum said that England’s biggest problem in the series is not handling pressure properly. He said that the team often thinks about the conditions instead of playing its natural game. The England coach felt there were positives at the end of the Test, with the players looking freer and more relaxed.
“We’re obviously disappointed to miss the chance to win the Ashes, but I think today and the last few days have been much better. (It’s) amazing what you can achieve when you just play,” he said.
“Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves and… and start thinking about other things besides playing the game. The last few days we’ve been doing what we do best, which is to immerse ourselves and just play.”
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