England's Ashes series ended with defeat in Sydney, after they conceded the urn at the earliest opportunities. Here are Wisden's marks out of 10 for each England player.
Zak Crawley – 3
5 matches, 273 runs at 27.30, 0 hundreds, 2 fifties, HS: 85
After a pair in Perth, Crawley managed to fend off some of the criticism aimed at him with a couple of decent innings in the following two Tests. However, having been backed by England management to succeed in specific conditions in Australia, finishing the series with an average of under 30 means he leaves with significant scrutiny around his future in the side.
Ben Duckett – 1
5 matches, 202 runs at 20.20, 0 hundreds, 0 fifties, HS: 42
Duckett was one of England's biggest disappointments on this tour, failing to find the dominating best which has made him a key part of the successes England have had over the last three years. A video of him drunk which emerged mid-series also brought further scrutiny of the squad's off-field behaviour.
Ollie Pope – 1
3 matches, 125 runs at 20.83, 0 hundreds, 0 fifties, HS: 46
Pope's high point of the series came on its opening day, when he launched a fightback with Harry Brook and fell just short of 50 in challenging conditions. However, soft dismissals and an increase in freneticism at the crease led to him being dropped for the final two Tests of the series.
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Jacob Bethell – 9
2 matches, 205 runs at 51.25, 1 hundred, 0 fifties, HS: 154
1 wicket at 68.00, BBI: 1-52
Aside from their win in Melbourne, Bethell's maiden hundred in Sydney was the highlight of the series for England amid a crowded field of lowlights. Bethell gave the ultimate answer to England's fast-tracking with a superb century, which brought the failures of their other batters into sharper focus. The 40 runs he made in the second innings at the MCG also shouldn't be forgotten as decisive in England's victory on a challenging surface.
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Joe Root – 7.5
5 matches, 400 runs at 44.44, 2 hundreds, 0 fifties, HS: 160
No matter how many times he brushed it off, Root was under huge pressure to break his Australia century duck going into this series. Having done it in style in Adelaide, he added an encore in Sydney, as well as finally being able to celebrate a Test-win in Australia on his fourth Ashes visit. While his Ashes legacy in Australia is still as part of four series-losing sides, his statistical record has been corrected.
Harry Brook – 4
5 matches, 358 runs at 39.77, 0 hundreds, 2 fifties, HS: 84
Brook's series is a tricky one to pin down. He came under scrutiny for some poor decision-making on the field, particularly in Brisbane, and questions over his rate of maturity on the field reflect concerns off it. It was revealed by The Telegraph after the final Test of the series that Brook was close to being sacked as white-ball captain following being struck by a bouncer late at night before an ODI during England's pre-Ashes tour of New Zealand. The reporting of the incidents show England's mid-series holiday in Noosa, during which Brook was pictured drinking with other members of the squad, into sharper context. Perhaps more disappointing than his series on its own was the lack of development, on and off the field.
Ben Stokes – 3
5 matches, 184 runs at 18.40, 0 hundreds, 2 fifties, HS: 83
15 wickets at 25.13, 1 five-for, BBI: 5-23
This series will go down as one of, if not the biggest failure of Stokes's career. Not only did he fail to make a stand-out contribution as a player – while he was impressive with the ball throughout the series – but as a captain he was ineffective. There were tactical blunders and an inability to galvanise his players to fightback in tough situations. Now, the environment he, along with Brendon McCullum, has built over the last four years will be at least in part dismantled. Although he is likely to stay on as captain, avoiding the fate of many other England captains after Ashes losses, this failure is a personal one for Stokes.
Jamie Smith – 1
5 matches, 211 runs at 23.44, 0 hundreds, 1 50, HS: 60
A truly woeful series by Smith, capped off with a 'dumb' dismissal in Sydney. His keeping also left a fair bit to be desired. After dropping Travis Head in Brisbane, and being at the centre of the controversy over Snicko, Smith has shrunk where he needed to stand tall.
Will Jacks – 1.5
4 matches, 145 runs at 20.71, 0 hundreds, 0 fifties, HS: 47
6 wickets at 53.66, BBI: 2-105
Having been parachuted into the squad and then picked over Shoaib Bashir after Adelaide, Jacks was largely unable to fill his brief. He was a steady partner during Stokes' rescue effort in Brisbane, but his returns with the bat didn't justify what England lacked with the ball as a result of his selection. A wild dismissal in Sydney capped off a poor series.
Brydon Carse – 3
5 matches, 22 wickets at 30.31, 0 five-fors, BBI: 4-34
99 runs at 11.00, HS: 39*
Carse is another whose series is tricky to sum up. He finished as England's leading wicket-taker, but bowled bad spells and was inconsistent throughout. He came under the most scrutiny in Adelaide for his erratic pitch map, and was targeted by Travis Head throughout.
Gus Atkinson – 3
3 matches, 6 wickets at 47.33, 0 five-fors, BBI: 2-28
Disappointing returns for Atkinson having been nurtured to lead England's attack in Australia since his debut in 2024. In hindsight, it was a big ask for Atkinson to succeed in unfamiliar conditions where so many England seamers have failed. He also was given inconsistent support from the rest of England's attack, and did bowl well with the new ball at points.
Josh Tongue – 8
3 matches, 18 wickets at 20.11, 1 five-for, BBI: 5-45
Tongue was one of the few unqualified successes for England during the series. He was held back until Adelaide at the expense of Atkinson, and took four wickets in Australia's second innings. A five-for and Player of the Match performance followed in Melbourne, and he took six wickets in Sydney where every other member of England's attacked struggled for control. Having come back into the side over the summer after two years out with injury, Tongue is someone England can build an attack around over the next 18 months.
ALSO READ: The trigonometric venn diagram: Why Josh Tongue gets Steve Smith out (almost) every time
Jofra Archer – 7
3 matches, 9 wickets at 27.11, 1 five-for, BBI: 5-53
Archer's highly anticipated return to Ashes action started with a blockbuster spell in Perth, and getting him through three consecutive Tests with a minor injury following should be a tick on the ECB's plan for him. He is likely to be fit again for the T20 World Cup, with the IPL to follow. How the ECB manage the next phase of his career will decide how much he is involved in the Test format in the near future.
Matthew Potts - 1
1 match, 0 wickets
Potts was given a hospital pass when he was thrown in at Sydney well after the wheels had come off. He was plastered by Travis Head and his figures of 0-141 before not being thrown the ball in Australia's second innings is a damning indictment. Potts will now likely join England's Sydney graveyard, losing his spot as their fill-in bowler when their preferred options are unavailable.
Mark Wood
1 match, 0 wickets
A hugely frustrating injury for Wood ruled him out of the series after the first Test, in which he bowled just 11 overs. It's highly possible that it was his last outing in an England Test shirt. He's the only player not to receive a rating, given his sample size.
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