Zak Crawley exclusive: England batter backs Ben Stokes despite Ashes defeat in Australia - 'Right man to lead our country'
By Will Conroy
Published 02/01/2026 at 17:49 GMT
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Zak Crawley believes Ben Stokes should remain England captain despite the disappointing Ashes defeat in Australia, saying the all-rounder is "the right man to lead our country" and "the best captain I've ever played under". England are 3-1 down in the series, having claimed victory in the fourth Test in Melbourne, and the final test gets underway this weekend, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
'The best captain I've ever played under' - Crawley backs Stokes ahead of final Ashes Test
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zak Crawley has said Ben Stokes "should be captain for a long while" despite England’s defeat in the 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men's Ashes.
Having become captain in 2022, this tour was seen as defining for Stokes’ leadership alongside head coach Brendan McCullum, but defeat was sealed after disappointing losses in each of the first three Tests.
However, England’s victory in the fourth Test in Melbourne was their first in Australia in 15 years, and they will be hoping to finish on a high in Sydney, with the final Test starting this weekend, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Stokes has a contract until 2027 and has spoken of his desire to stay in his role after this tour, and team-mate Crawley believes this would be the correct decision.
Speaking to TNT Sports, the England opener said: "Well, he's the best captain I've ever played under, simple as that really.
"I mean, he's a very good leader. He leads by example; he leads in the way he speaks in the group."
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Stokes ‘very proud’ to lead England to victory after ‘tough’ build-up to fourth Test
Video credit: TNT Sports
Crawley added: "He's exactly the right man to lead our country in this team. He should be captain for a long while. He's got a lot more to give, and he's still one of the best cricketers in the world.
"The whole group would say exactly the same. Everyone loves playing under Stokesy."
Defeats in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide gave Australia a 3-0 lead in the series after just 11 days of cricket and extended England’s poor Ashes record down under.
Since 1986, they have won just one Ashes series in Australia, with that victory coming in 2010/11, while they have not won the urn home or away since 2015.
Reflecting on the latest series defeat, Crawley said: "It's a hard one to be honest, because we came here with such high hopes, to lose the Ashes is disappointing.
"I feel like we’ve thrown everything we could at them. If we win this week, then we can look back at it and say we gave it a good crack, and I suppose that's all you can do."
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Highlights: England secure first Test win in Australia since 2011 to avoid Ashes whitewash
Video credit: TNT Sports
The 27-year-old had a nightmare start to the series, with ducks in each innings of the first Test in Perth.
He has since improved, averaging 43 across the last six innings, with impressive totals of 76 and 85 in Brisbane and Adelaide, respectively.
Looking back on his own performances so far, Crawley said: "I felt good going into the series, to be honest, I didn't perform well in Perth, obviously and made a couple of mistakes.
"But I didn’t feel that was worth changing how I felt, and I just tried to stick with that and stuck with how I wanted to play out here and had a clear game plan about how I wanted to go about it.
"I feel I've played nicely, but I haven't got that score that can maybe change the course of a game yet, so hopefully I can do it here in Sydney."
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On his two half-centuries, he said: "I was pleased with how I played in both of them, but I wish I could have got bigger scores, and they might have changed the course of the game - we lost both games.
"If I get a 70 or 80 and we win, then I look back with great fondness. If I get a 70, 80, and we lose, I look back and say I played nicely, but you always think you could have got some more."
Coverage of the fifth Test on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ begins at 22:30 (UK time) on January 3.
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