England’s cricket veterans have displayed a range of performances in the recent Ashes series under the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Their lackluster, team-wide 4-0 series defeat has raised alarms over specific players’ performances. Even seasoned players such as Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and Ben Stokes are being heavily criticized for their output.
Joe Root’s batting was under scrutiny a lot of last Ashes series as he had a massive decline in runs scored on a consistent basis. Things turned around for him big time with the new regime, as he went back to scoring in the 50s on average. On one hand, Root celebrated a huge moment in his career by scoring his first Test century in Australia. He completed this remarkable landmark in the second Test of the series in Brisbane, demonstrating his capacity to perform even on tough pitches.
Zak Crawley meanwhile experienced a complete change to his batting fortunes. That previously had been 28.34 at a strike-rate of 53.09. Buoyed by the positive influence of McCullum, Crawley raised his test average to 33.01, with a high strike rate (for a test player) of 71.34. His most crowning achievement is the 2023 Australian Open. His overall average of 71.34 was nothing short of outstanding and his start of the series to finish upward trend is a great sign.
The statistics on Ollie Pope are the same story, a recent opening up. Between 2019 and the start of the most recent Ashes series, he averaged a rather modest 33.74 with a strike rate of just 51.17. Since then, Pope has bumped up his average to 39.01 and upped his strike rate to 72.23. His expected goals per 90 minutes converted percentage has increased from ten percent to forty-five percent. He’s come from one century in his first 18 Tests to eight centuries in a mere 38 matches.
Ben Stokes is still the player around whom England’s future looks to be built. Needless to say, his personal rate of return on investment has withered, with his average nosediving from 43.24 to 34.91. He’s made notable gains in his bowling performance. He is now joint-highest wicket-taker in England’s 2025 Test history, tied with current England teammate Josh Tongue.
Other players have produced uneven results, but others, such as Mark Wood and Jack Leach, have maintained high levels of performance. Their results still don’t match how they were playing with McCullum at the helm. This uniformity is an encouraging sign that at least part of their collegiate game has stayed intact through the organizational restructure.
Root expressed confidence in the team’s commitment to their management structure, stating, “In terms of the playing group, we’re absolutely committed to the management.”
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