Ben Stokes urges England players not to 'coast through' final men's Ashes Test in Sydney - 'This is a huge game'
Published 03/01/2026 at 17:13 GMT
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Australia have retained the Ashes but there is still plenty to play for in the fifth and final match of the series in Sydney, which begins on Saturday, January 3 - live on TNT Sports and discovery+. England captain Ben Stokes told the media there would be no slacking off from his team, with the focus on a second successive victory to finish with a more respectable 3-2 series loss.
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England captain Ben Stokes has insisted England will treat the final 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men's Ashes Test no differently than the previous four.
Australia raced into a 3-0 series lead to secure another Ashes victory on home soil, but England responded with their first win in the country for 15 years in a remarkable two-day Test in Melbourne.
Victory in the final test in Sydney will give the tourists nothing but pride, but Stokes rejected any possibility of his side taking a more individualistic approach.
"There shouldn't be any reason for anyone to get individual or insular about what they want to do this week," he said in a press conference.
"As soon as someone starts thinking about their own performances, it becomes quite easy to see through.
"One thing I've managed to get into this group is that everything you do, think or say is always about what's best for the team and not yourself.
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"Whoever goes out there this week, everything they do and every decision they make will be about what the team needs.
"One thing you don't want to see, and I don't think I will, is anyone coasting through this game. This is a huge game. We're walking out there playing for England, and it's going to take all 11 of us to go out there and get a result.
"Australia get to lift the urn and they've won the Ashes, but every time you walk out and play for your country, regardless of the opposition, regardless of where the series is at, it's just as important."
Stokes also turned his attention to the pitch at the SCG, admitting "no-one has a clue" how it is likely to play.
There was widespread criticism of the surface in Melbourne, which heavily favoured bowlers and contributed to an unusually low-scoring, truncated Test.
That pitch was deemed "unsatisfactory" by the ICC (International Cricket Council), and Stokes acknowledged that all eyes will be on the ground staff in Sydney.
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"I don't think a groundsman has ever been under as much pressure as the guy here this week," he said.
"We all play a good game by pretending we know what we're doing looking at the wicket.
"We try and act like we know what we're doing when we look down at the pitch, rubbing it and knocking it, but no-one really has a clue."
There has been intense scrutiny on England's 'Bazball' approach under head coach Brendon McCullum throughout the series.
But Stokes insisted there should be no drastic changes following the Ashes defeat.
"There is no doubt in my mind that me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future," he said.
"I can't see there being someone else who could take this team from where we are now to even bigger heights."
Watch live coverage of the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney, starting on Saturday January 3, on TNT Sports and discovery+
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