By Stephan Shemilt, Cricket Correspondent. 13 April 2026. 268 Comments.
England were described as feckless, reckless and legless on their dismal Ashes tour of Australia, according to Lawrence Booth, editor of the Wisden Almanack’s 163rd edition. Ben Stokes’s side were beaten 4-1 on a tour dogged by poor on-field performances, sloppy preparation and allegations of a drinking culture. Booth’s damning assessment appears in the editor’s notes of Wisden, published on Thursday. “England arrived for the Ashes hell-bent on making history, and ended up being laughed out of town,” he wrote. “England were feckless, reckless and legless. A trip supposed to define an era, described by Brendon McCullum as ‘the biggest series of all our lives’, descended into dilettantism. What a waste. What a shame.” He added: “In the game’s long history, it is hard to think of a privilege so carelessly squandered, a chance so blithely spurned. A successful assault on Australia requires blood, sweat and tears, not dribs, drabs and vibes.”
England Test captain Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key remained in their posts following a review of the Ashes series conducted by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Booth argued that England should have come clean much sooner about an incident involving white-ball captain Harry Brook on the tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes. Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer on the eve of a one-day international in Wellington in October, but the altercation did not come to light until it was reported in the Telegraph after the fifth Ashes Test in January. “Three weeks before the Perth Test was plenty of time to hold Brook to account in public, and remind the players that they had a (well-paid) job to do in Australia,” Booth said. “Four years after England’s previous Ashes misadventure had sparked headlines about a drinking culture, it was all depressingly familiar.”
None of the current England squad have been named among Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year — an accolade a player can only receive once and is largely based on performances in the previous English summer. Four India players are recognised for their part in the thrilling 2-2 Test series draw in England — captain Shubman Gill, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pace bowler Mohammed Siraj. Haseeb Hameed is the only domestic player on the list, for his runs and captaincy in Nottinghamshire’s County Championship triumph. Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc and India all-rounder Deepti Sharma are named as the leading men’s and women’s cricketers in the world respectively.
Related topics. England Men’s Cricket Team. The Ashes. Cricket. More on this story. Get cricket news sent straight to your phone. 16 August 2025.
