England legend Geoffrey Boycott has criticized head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes after Australia won the Ashes for the fifth consecutive time in Adelaide on Sunday (December 21). Australia defeated England by 82 runs in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval to take a 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match Test series.
Earlier, Ben Stokes and his team could not last more than three days in the first two Tests and now their huge defeat in Adelaide has rekindled the debate on his ultra-aggressive buzzball style started by Brendon McCullum and the captain himself.
Geoffrey Boycott says Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes must make changes or resign
After Australia captured the Ashes 2025-26, their buzzball approach is now being blamed for their downfall. Initially, Buzzball felt like a breath of fresh air in Test cricket. England played fearless cricket, the players followed their instincts and the results were impressive.
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But the current Ashes 2025-26 has shown the cracks. England kept attacking even when the match situation clearly demanded patience, control and better judgment and now Geoffrey Boycott has launched a brutal attack on the leadership group for fostering such a mentality.
The renowned broadcaster believes that England have confused overconfidence with overconfidence. Boycott has said that the Test team is so committed to playing in a way that they have stopped reading the game properly and that stubborn attitude has caused them a lot of damage.
A lot of credit should go to Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes: Geoffrey Boycott
He openly blamed McCullum and Stokes for yet another England Ashes defeat and strongly demanded that they stay away from buzzballs if they wanted to remain in Test cricket.
Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph, “Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes deserve a lot of credit for what they have done for our cricket, but it is clear that the buzzball has run its course. Hubris has taken over common sense, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”
He said, “Stokes and McCullum are like people digging a hole anywhere. If what you are doing is not working, stop digging. Change is essential to reach the next level.”
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Geoffrey Boycott raised questions on Ben Stokes’ captaincy, warned England against blind aggression
The former England batsman also raised questions on Ben Stokes as captain. He admitted that the star all-rounder is an important player for the team, but he is not above accountability. Boycott called on Stokes to adjust his attacking instincts to balance the team.
Boycott has openly called for the sacking of Stokes and McCullum if the captain and coach are unwilling to move away from that aggressive approach, as it would lead to their further decline in the longest format of the game.
He signed off by saying, “You don’t want to lose him, but if he doesn’t see that a change in approach is needed, you’ll have to find a new captain.”
The remaining two Ashes Tests will be played in Melbourne and Sydney on December 26 and January 4 respectively and the England team will be keen to save their pride.
