Knives out again: Another downhill bend in the road for England

It was lunch on Day 2 of the third Ashes Test at Headingley in 2023. England had slumped to 142/7, still trailing Australia by 121 runs. The series was 2-0 to Australia, and the Ashes were slipping away rapidly from Ben Stokes's team.

This was peak Bazball. Yet, in the media centre, there was a feeling its days might be numbered. Knives were being sharpened, with tales of an alleged loose pre-Ashes team trip to Scotland ready to surface.

Then Mark Wood hooked a couple of sixes, Stokes launched a few more, and England clawed back. The knives were sheathed. When Harry Brook and Chris Woakes completed a dramatic chase days later, Bazball—and the excitement around it—was resurrected.

The scenario now is very different. A stinging story in The Telegraph about Harry Brook's altercation with a bouncer in a New Zealand nightclub, hours before captaining an ODI, lands at the worst possible time. It comes just hours after the conclusion of one of England's most underwhelming Ashes tours in recent memory.

This campaign will be remembered as much for off-field controversies as for the team's failure to adapt to Australian conditions. That is despite winning a Test in Australia for the first time in 15 years.

All that hype, planning, and bold talk blown away. Four more years to wait. Somebody always takes the fall for a failed Ashes campaign in Australia. The only question is: who this time?

It won't be Stokes, nor should it be. While not at his best with the bat, he was England's most consistent bowler until his body gave way in the final Test. He battled tirelessly, both with ball and in key batting resistance, notably at the Gabba. With his vice-captain just reprimanded, Brook is nowhere close to taking over. Stokes remains the only man to lead England out of this downhill bend. He has been reflective this series, even admitting his team's much-publicised approach no longer has the same impact on opponents.

The next figure under fire is Brendon McCullum. He has been steadfast in his approach as coach, insisting he won't be "told what to do" by anyone, including the ECB. This statement came in a BBC interview before the Brook story broke. With English cricket's bigwigs in Australia reviewing the team's failure, the embarrassment from off-field culture issues may influence their view of McCullum's tenure.

Managing director Robert Key might be in the most awkward position. He revealed two weeks ago that Brook and Jacob Bethell had been warned during the same New Zealand trip—weeks before the Ashes—for being filmed drinking in public. We now know that was the same night Brook got into trouble at the nightclub. Brook may have been fined, but Key's position could come under heavier scrutiny than any of his colleagues.

What could keep them all in place is timing: the next Ashes in England is only 18 months away. England have one home summer and Tests in South Africa before then. The focus will be on erasing this forgettable tour by regaining the Ashes at home for the first time in a dozen years.

There's little to suggest the McCullum-Stokes partnership has the track record against top teams to be England's best option. England's record against India and Australia over the last three years is 6 wins, 12 defeats, and 2 draws. World champions South Africa will also test them at home in 2026-27.

But is there enough time for a new coach to undo cultural aspects of the McCullum era and embark on a new direction before Australia arrive in June 2027? Many senior players are keen to stick around to try and win an Ashes series outright in England.

That summer also marks the end of McCullum's contract. It will be interesting to see if decision-makers let it run its course or make a bold move now. Status quo cannot remain. Something will have to give. The knives are out again, and they look sharp. The question is: who will they land on first?