11/01/2026

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SPORTS 11

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Alastair not ready to Cook Ex-England captain unsure about replacing McCullum as head coach

DEATH OF BAZBALL? England came to Australia with genu ine hopes of a first away Ashes series win since 2010-11 with their aggressive “Bazball” approach. But it quickly unrav elled on treacherous batting pitches and in the face of consistently good Australian bowling. They slumped 2-0 down after just six days of cricket with crushing eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane, and the knives came out for coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan said the gung-ho style was “all becoming a bit too predictable” while long-time BBC broadcaster Jonathan Agnew declared “Bazball is dead.” MCCULLUM TO FACE MUSIC McCullum leaves Australia with seri ous questions over whether he should keep his job, although Stokes is almost certainly safe.Head of cricket Rob Key will also have to face the music for a tour marred by claims that England were under-prepared and lacked discipline, with a mid-series beach break and drink ing session heavily criticised. HEAD-SPINNING Australia lost one long-established opener but found another. When Usman Khawaja suffered back spasms in the first Test at Perth, Travis Head was promoted from No. 5 and slammed a rapid-fire match-winning 123. He stayed at the top of the order for the rest of the series, crunching further swashbuckling centuries in Adelaide and Sydney, with his position now seemingly cemented. The 39-year-old Khawaja made a suc cessful comeback in the third Test at number four for the injured Steve Smith, but the writing was on the wall and he announced his decision to retire after his 88th Test in Sydney. AUSTRALIA DEPTH Australia’s superior bowling depth was on full display during the series, with even a depleted attack able to wrestle England into submission. Injured pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood played no part at all while Pat Cummins was only able to don the Baggy Green in Adelaide and regular stand-by Sean Abbott was also unavail able.It was left to the evergreen Mitchell Starc to carry the load and he was ably supported by Scott Boland throughout, with Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson all playing their part. AFP Four things we learned from the Ashes

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Former England captain Alastair Cook. – REUTERSPIC

of players looked a “little bit flimsy” after a chastening tour, where the preparation and approach were highly criticised. “Rob Key brought in Baz McCullum, they’ve had a good fun ride but they’ve won nothing,” Vaughan said. “Let’s be brutally honest. They haven’t won a five match series, they haven’t beaten the Aussies home and away, and they haven’t beaten India home and away. “They haven’t got any where near a World Test Championship final. That’s what you’re judged on in the Test arena. “The white ball cricket team in 2025 toured India and got battered, went to the Champions Trophy and didn’t win a game… So the white ball team’s actually starting to go a little bit backwards. “When I watched down in the morning and saw both teams warming up, I saw Australia as such a profes sional operation. You see Alex Carey down there doing the drills, you get the bowlers doing the run-throughs. “When you look down at England, whether they like it or not, it looks a little bit flimsy. You’ve got the pig game going on with the foot ball that goes on forever. “Then you get the odd bowler bowling through to the keeper Jamie Smith, he just gets the pad. “There’s one team that looks ultra-professional and one that doesn’t. Whether they like that or not, that’s what I see, and I think that’s something they can really learn and improve upon.” - The Independent

BY KIERAN JACKSON

ALASTAIR COOK has cast doubt over whether he wants to be England’s next head coach, should the position become available. The former England cap tain has been linked with replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach after a miser able 4-1 Ashes defeat to Australia. Yet legendary batsman Cook, who was in Australia as a pundit for TNT Sports , is unsure about whether he would even want to take on the role. “Firstly, as a head coach, you have to appoint your own people,” Cook said “It does seem like in this setup there’s been quite a lot of – I don’t want to say ‘yes men’ – but Tim Southee, who never coached, becomes bowling coach. Jeetan Patel is one of his best mates. “Have I thought about it since it’s been announced? Of course I have. Your brain always wanders. Do I really want it now? I just don’t know. “I don’t think I could be director; I can’t do Rob Key’s job. It would have to be to do with the players and getting involved. But at the minute, I’m quite happy. I’m veering towards no.” India legend Ravi Shastri is actually the favourite with the bookies, should the ECB dispense with McCullum’s services, with ex-England players Jonathan Trott and Freddie Flintoff also in the mix. Meanwhile, another ex England captain, in Michael Vaughan, believes this group

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