England vs New Zealand: Winning all that matters for fans as Ben Stokes and team look to bounce back from Ashes debacle

There has always been a lot of talk from and around this England men’s cricket team.

Daft comments from within about winning not always mattering and how they could chase any score batting last however huge – remarks Ben Duckett now surely regrets.

Sweeping generalisations from outside that England do not train hard enough, do not prepare diligently enough and would rather tee it up on the golf course than go through their paces in practice.

We have heard a lot more talk over the last week with head coach Brendon McCullum – kept on after the 4-1 Ashes thrashing – chatting extensively to ECB in-house media, Sky Sports, the written press and more about the next steps for the side.

A lot of that talk has centred on England refining their ultra-aggressive Bazball style, playing “smart” cricket, being more “robust”.

If they had displayed those qualities in Australia, they may have won a series they ended up getting drubbed in. It was a defeat very much of their own making, with stupid shots galore.

As encouraging as McCullum’s words may be – if you chose to believe he truly can evolve – it is now time for the talking to stop. What England fans want is action. And, more importantly, wins, as they have been a little starved of those of late.

In the electrifying early days of Bazball, England won 11 of their first 13 Tests under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. But they have now won only seven of their last 18.

They have not won a series against Australia or India in the Bazball era and the regime has lost the backing of some supporters with winning positions frequently frittered away. Off-field escapades have also dented the relationship between team and fanbase.

Hussain: England became over-interested in style

Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said: “We have to remember the good stuff England did. For around two and a half years, not only were they winning games but they were an absolute joy to watch.

“I do think they got over-interested in how to go about things as opposed to [winning]. They were more concerned about the style rather than winning the key moments.

“In the end, as they found out this winter, fans want you to win, especially The Ashes. They are not that bothered how you play.”

If McCullum’s words have not placated supporters ahead of the home series against New Zealand from Thursday, then perhaps the selections have. The pick of opening batter Emilio Gay and the return of seam bowler Ollie Robinson indicate a change in philosophy.

Zak Crawley is the player to make way for Gay at the top of the order.

The jettisoned Kent man has got, to use a McCullum-ism, a “high ceiling” but he also had a huge flaw of not scoring runs consistently.

With an average of 31.18 after 64 Tests, a lean end to this winter’s Ashes – having initially bounced back from a pair in Perth with a fifty apiece in Brisbane and Adelaide – and then a poor start to the county season, Crawley’s time is up, for now at least.

Gay may not be as Bazball as the batter he has replaced – we will learn whether that is the case in due course – but the hope is that he will be more reliable.

And the left-hander’s selection, ahead of promising Durham team-mate Ben McKinney, 21, does hint that England’s commitment to re-engaging with county cricket is genuine.

Gay has struck three hundreds and one fifty in Division Two so far this season, amassing 552 runs at an average close to 80, after hitting 954 runs at 45.42, including four centuries, in Division One during Durham’s relegation campaign in 2025.

Hussain’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Michael Atherton said: “What you hear is that McKinney is more talented, whereas Gay has put the runs on the board.

“His selection maybe represents a slight change in emphasis. They had to make a change [from Crawley], if only to show there is accountability for performance.”

Will England really be able to change?

If England have moved on from the notion of all batters needing to be boundary blasters, then they also seem to have shelved the idea that all bowlers must operate towards or beyond 90mph. The Ashes attack did not lack pace, but it did lack control.

“The bowling, at times, was diabolical,” said Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast as he reflected on the short and wide offerings served up.

Robinson, back after a two-year absence that was largely down to fitness levels, will bring England much-needed accuracy and skill if his body stands up to the rigours of Test cricket, something that has been his major issue in the past.

If Robinson can remain at his nagging 82-83mph throughout and not dip below that, he will be a force. His stats of 76 wickets in 20 Tests at an average below 23 prove that.

The acid test for England, though, will be whether these heartening selections translate to actual change out in the middle.

Will the batters revert to type and play in gung-ho fashion, something we saw in the Ashes opener at Perth when they imploded from 65-1 in their second innings while leading by 105 amid a blizzard of rash drives? Or will they play the situation?

Will the bowlers chase wickets and lose their line and length, as they did ad nauseam against Australia?

England need only look back to the very start of Bazball, against New Zealand in 2022, to see how important cricket smarts are.

Doull backs McCullum to ‘learn and improve’

Sky Sports pundit and former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull:

“Brendon brought an air of freedom when for a long time I think English cricket had been a bit worried about the next game, batting for your spot in the team.

“Brendon instils confidence and will make you feel 10ft tall and bulletproof every time you walk out. That was the way he captained and the way he played.

“England cricket absolutely needed that and they started against New Zealand by winning at Lord’s and then dominated that series.

“After about 18 months he had everybody believing that was how they needed to play. From that point on, they needed some actual coaching and some ability to continue down the path they were going down but with a semblance of cricket smarts.

“They have all the ability in the world, all the shots, but it was just how they were going about getting out and the times. That became very frustrating for fans.

“I think Brendon will have learned and improved from that. He is not going to be a great technical coach, I don’t think he ever will be, but he will find a way to make you improve.

“Hopefully the lessons from the Ashes have been learned.”

While that initial summer is best remembered for the breathtaking run chases they pulled off against the Black Caps at Trent Bridge and Headingley and then India at Edgbaston – when Jonny Bairstow was at his brutal best – it all began with a tense five-wicket win under murky skies at Lord’s as Joe Root’s ton underpinned a chase of 277.

As England began day four on 216-5, needing a further 61 runs in bowler-friendly conditions for just a second win in 18 Tests and first in 10, supporters’ nerves would have jangled. But Root, aided by Ben Foakes, saw the hosts home in calm fashion.

Looking at this week’s weather forecast for Lord’s, we could get another finish under murky skies and if England come out on top in calm fashion, and go full circle from four years ago, it would represent real progress after the nightmare Ashes tour.

However, any victory – which won’t be easy against a New Zealand side with an all-time great batter in Kane Williamson, the talented Rachin Ravindra, and a potent bowling attack – will do for the fans.

Style doesn’t matter now, substance is what supporters want. Winning is all that counts.

Watch the first Test between England and New Zealand, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10am on Thursday (11am first ball). Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.

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