In his newest scathing column for The Telegraph on January 9, 2026, England legend Geoffrey Boycott delivered a blistering autopsy following the conclusion of the Ashes 2025-26 collection. Having watched England fall to a demoralizing 4-1 defeat in Australia, the 85-year-old former opener spared nobody within the management group.
Boycott argued that the ‘Bazball’ period has devolved from an thrilling experiment right into a harmful tradition of entitlement and recklessness. He accused the workforce of missing fundamental self-discipline, highlighting that their cussed refusal to adapt to Australian circumstances was the first cause for his or her downfall. Along with his signature bluntness, Boycott demanded an entire overhaul of the teaching construction earlier than England’s subsequent Check project in June.
Geoffrey Boycott names the three culprits behind England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat
Boycott took direct intention on the three strongest figures in England cricket, Head Coach Brendon McCullum, Managing Director Rob Key and Captain Ben Stokes, labeling them because the architects of England’s failure.
“England’s three smart males turned out to be the three stooges. Brendon McCullum, Rob Key, and Ben Stokes offered a lie for 3 years.” Boycott wrote.
Boycott’s main grievance was the shortage of penalties for poor performances, noting that below the present regime, gamers really feel invincible no matter their errors. Boycott noticed: “No person tells them off, no accountability, and no one will get dropped, so they simply preserve doing the identical daft issues. Why ought to the gamers change, adapt, or enhance if the coach and captain are okay with it?” He additional criticized Key for failing to train oversight, warning that if Key continues to blindly again McCullum’s ‘slapstick’ techniques, his personal job could possibly be in danger.
Additionally READ: Geoffrey Boycott proposes ‘two strong candidates’ to replace Brendon McCullum as England’s Test coach after Ashes 2025-26 defeat
The gambler coach and the necessity for Ashes-winning counsel
Focusing his critique on the teaching philosophy, Boycott described McCullum as a frontrunner who has basically didn’t evolve past a high-stakes playing mindset. Whereas acknowledging McCullum was initially a ‘breath of contemporary air,’
Boycott wrote: “However he’s a gambler who thinks he’s at all times going to win his a reimbursement. That’s how casinos at all times win in the long run… They don’t know when to cease or change their routine.” To repair this perceived vanity, Boycott recommended that the ECB should pressure the management group to hearken to “has-been” legends who really know the right way to win Down Underneath. He urged Key to usher in greats like Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and David Gower to offer a “contemporary and totally different” perspective, including: “This form of free license to do no matter you please with no consequence is holding England again. To get to the following stage, we’d like a special self-discipline and construction.”
Additionally READ: 5 key reasons for England’s disastrous defeat in Ashes 2025-26 against Australia
