Michael Atherton: Ashes defeat will 'haunt England for years' - 'they did not give themselves chance to succeed'
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, former England captain Michael Atherton says 4-1 Ashes defeat suffered by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes' squad will 'haunt England for years'; Atherton calls for Sir Alastair Cook to join coaching staff; England lost series in 11 days of cricket
Friday 9 January 2026 11:15, UK
Michael Atherton fears England will be "haunted" by their latest Ashes failure for years to come.
England lost the series in just 11 days of cricket after an error-strewn first three Tests in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, with their lean preparation and aggressive style of cricket, plus a mid-series beach break in Noosa where they were pictured drinking, criticised.
A two-day victory in the Boxing Day game at the MCG - England's first Test win in Australia in 15 years - ended any danger of a 5-0 whitewash, but they were then beaten in the series finale in Sydney, as they suffered a 14th defeat in their last 28 matches.
Looking back on the comprehensive 4-1 defeat on the latest Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Atherton highlighted England's failure to adequately prepare as the primary reason they fell so short of capitalising on Australia's weaknesses and absentees.
"For me, it's the magnitude of the errors," Atherton said.
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"I don't think there is any worse thing for an athlete to feel than not giving yourself the best chance to succeed, whether that is through preparation or how you played.
"England have not given themselves the best chance to be at their best and that will haunt them in years to come.
"Pat Cummins has played one game, Josh Hazlewood none, Nathan Lyon one and a half, plus you have three of Australia's top five averaging in the mid-20s."
'Cook should come in'
Despite a wealth of pressure, the expectation is that both head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director of men's cricket Rob Key will keep their jobs, with any calls to axe the former complicated by the fact he is due to lead England's white-ball side in the T20 World Cup next month.
A statement from ECB chief executive Richard Gould following the 4-1 series defeat said "necessary changes" would be made.
Atherton feels change, in terms of approach and personnel, could be what is needed.
"When Stokes and McCullum came in, it was post-Covid and everyone was ready for the liberation they provided," he said.
"It was a beaten-down team and that freedom was perfect for that because you had a lot of top-notch, high-class players.
"But the team is at a different stage now where you have young players who need to learn about playing hard, winning cricket.
"With the team at a different phase, it might need a different approach from the coaching staff.
"I gave the example of Sir Alastair Cook coming in as an assistant or whatever to drive up standards."
Nasser: England flattered to deceive
Nasser Hussain added:
"Australia played the better cricket, have been the more consistent side.
"They were relentless with the ball and then, with the bat, two or three cricketers have been superb - Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey.
"England had their moments but were unable to capitalise on them.
"For all the hype around this series, it has gone as every other one has in Australia since 2010-11, with England flattering to deceive.
"They have played catch-up cricket and played shots that have really cost them, shots director of cricket Rob Key called 'dumb' when he sat with us on the podcast.
"The new-ball bowling had been incredibly different between the sides.
"My one aboding memory of this series is going to be Travis Head pulling and cutting the ball and that tells you where England are bowling.
"The next one will be the shots England played when in good positions when they needed to be ruthless.
"Look at how the two greats in Joe Root and Steve Smith and then a classy young player in Jacob Bethell played.
"They got the tempo right: ruthless, over-my-dead-body but not just blocking and being boring. Why can't Jamie Smith see that when Marnus Labuschagne comes on to bowl?"
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
Australia win five-match series 4-1
- First Test (Perth): Australia won by eight wickets
- Second Test (Brisbane): Australia won by eight wickets
- Third Test (Adelaide): Australia won by 82 runs
- Fourth Test (Melbourne): England won by four wickets
- Fifth Test (Sydney): Australia won by five wickets
