England have fallen to a 4-1 defeat in the 2025/26 Ashes. With a post-series review already underway, they have several personnel questions facing them as they build towards 2027.
Despite boasting ‘the strongest XI for an away Ashes since 2011’, England have been royally hammered. From ugly dismissals, an undercooked bowling unit and a muddled philosophy, to Australia’s cool superiority, the Ashes have brought England back down to earth.
The ECB launched a post-series review while it was still underway, with part of that process set to examine individual performance. Several of the players England's top brass backed to the hilt to puff their chests out and stand up to Australia shied away when it mattered most, and while some of managed to keep their heads above water, others will be casualties of yet another embarrassing Ashes Down Under.
The sticks – who should stay?
To get the biggest gun out of the way first, Ben Stokes should stay in charge. It's true that Stokes has made tactical blunders during this series, and failed to galvanise his men with his compelling brand of inspiration. He also hasn't had a stand-out on-field performance – bar a five-for in Perth which was as much to do with others as it was him. But he remains best-placed to lead the side out of their slump, just like he did four years ago.
As for the rest of the batters, Joe Root is a lock (obviously), as is Harry Brook, despite some poor dismissals on this tour. Jacob Bethell's century in Sydney signalled his ownership of the No.3 spot, as one of the only players to come out of the series with his standing strengthened.
An element of their philosophy which hurt England most on this tour is that their dominating opening partnership didn't fulfill their brief. Zak Crawley managed to allay some of the criticism directed to him after his pair in Perth decent knocks in Brisbane and Adelaide, but a series average of 27.30 goes down as a failure. Crawley's place is the most vulnerable of England's batters, and this may well be the moment the backing he's received breaks. Ben Duckett is also vulnerable, having failed to reach 50 once in 10 innings. That doesn't change that he was averaging 47 in Test cricket for the 12 months before the Ashes. However, perhaps what they achieved together over the last three years deserves one final throw of the dice against New Zealand at the start of the summer, after the Ashes dust has settled, before an ultimate decision is made.
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As for the bowlers, Josh Tongue is a simple stick, as is Jofra Archer provided he can be wrapped in cotton wool enough to see him through the next 18 months in all formats. Gus Atkinson was inconsistent across the series, but bowled well at points with the new ball and has done enough to get another go in conditions he's suited to over the summer. The trickiest one to assess is Brydon Carse. His 22 wickets at 30.31 are the most by an England bowler in Australia since Stuart Broad in 2013/14. But, unquestionably, at many points throughout the series, Carse looked bad. He didn't bowl well to Travis Head, and his spell on day two at Brisbane was particularly wild. It's likely that England see enough potential to stick with him, although perhaps in a slightly altered role. While still a stick, his position in the bowling ranks has dropped over this series.
The twists – who should go?
The easiest answers are the ones who have already gone. Shoaib Bashir wasn't picked for a single Test, formalising England's lack of confidence in him as a wicket-taking option in Australia. England have a decision for the role of their spinner going forward. Will Jacks didn't give enough with either bat or ball to justify a call-back, so it's a likely England will look elsewhere to fill that gap. Whether that goes to a specialist or another batting allrounder to come in down the order, is a decision to be made over the next few months.
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The other mid-series casualty was Ollie Pope. Despite having successfully fended off Bethell's rise last summer and going into the series, Adelaide was one frenetic inning too many, and the sum of Pope's failures became greater than his sporadic successes. Joining him for a stint back at The Oval may well be Jamie Smith, who, after a series of calamitous errors concluded his series with a woeful dismissal in Sydney. Smith is the man for the future, but his demeanour during the series shows a crisis of confidence. He shied away after dropping Travis Head in Brisbane, and has left Stokes out in the cold during the review process. Smith has already been left out of the T20 World Cup squad, and now is a prime opportunity for a longer break, to refind the quality that made him someone able to oust both Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow 18 months ago.
Among the seamers, Matthew Potts had a bum deal being thrown in at Sydney, but that he wasn't called on before as part of the wider pace group is evident of how England already viewed him. Peripheral, if that, rather than central. Mark Wood was unable to get through 11 overs in Perth without requiring significant rehab, and at 35, the fleeting rewards he offers in between injuries should make way for a more consistent presence.
New additions – who should come in?
The casualties from a loss on this scale opens gaps for new or returning faces to come in. Jordan Cox could benefit from a spot with the gloves opening up, with James Rew also in line.
Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of Bashir's absence will be Jack Leach. It's hard to argue that England wouldn't have been better served by a specialist spinner in Sydney, with Jacks and Bethell getting through 23 overs between them. Leach was England's leading spinner in Pakistan last year, and perhaps would be the simplest choice to make. Another option would be to bring back Liam Dawson, despite not retaining him after last summer, or go for broke and properly crack Rehan Ahmed's role in England's future.
Among the up-and-coming quicks, Matt Fisher was a non-playing member of the squad on this tour, while perhaps there's a bigger decision to make on Ollie Robinson. In Robinson, England have a player who, three years ago, was one of the best bowlers in the world, and if fitness and internal divides can be sorted, would be an effective addition.
There are also those waiting in the wings should England's opening partnership break over the next 18 months. Emilio Gay impressed for the Lions in Australia, as did Tom Haines. There are also faces from the past moving their way back up the ranks, the likes of Haseeb Hameed and Alex Lees.
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