A frustrated Ben Stokes went on a sensational rant against his England teammates after the team went 2-0 down in the 2025-26 Ashes with an eight-wicket loss at the Gabba on Sunday (December 7). The skipper warned that the English dressing room won’t be a place for ‘weak men’ until he stays the captain, questioning their mentality for regular failures in high-pressure situations.

After posting 511 and securing a 177-run advantage, Australia dismantled England under lights to leave them 134/6 overnight. Stokes and Will Jacks offered brief resistance on day four, guiding England into a small lead before Michael Neser’s double strike ended the fightback and completed his 5-42. Set just 65, Australia eased to victory despite losing two wickets, with Steve Smith finishing the chase in style.
“There is a saying that we have said a lot here that Australia is not for weak men," Stokes said after the match. “A dressing room that I am captain of is not a place for weak men either. It’s very disappointing. A lot of it, to me, comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format, when the game’s on the line.

“In small passages we’ve been able to get some kind of control – and then we’ve let it slip away. We’ve done it again this week. It’s very, very disappointing, particularly because of the ability of the players we have in our dressing room. We need to think a bit harder and a bit deeper about those moments and what we’re taking mentally into them. Overall, we need to show a bit more fight when it’s needed," he added.

Stokes also suggested that his partnership with Jacks — which went against their BazBall philosophy of all-out attack — was a message that the players needed to ‘show fight’.

‘I have full belief’: Stokes.

England and Stokes aren’t giving up hope of bringing the urn home, even though their team has never come from 2-0 down to beat Australia.

“I absolutely believe in that dressing room," Stokes said. “I have full belief in the players and the coaching staff. We know we’ve got to win these next three games. We have been 2-0 down before. We ain’t gonna shy away from the battle in front of us. But we need to look at where things have gone wrong and sort them out pretty quickly if we want to get these Ashes back to England."

“We are 2-0 down, there are three games left. If we lose hope over the next couple of weeks, even next week, we might as well not turn up. I haven’t lost hope, that dressing room hasn’t lost hope, and I’ll be doing everything I can as a captain to ensure that everyone is as positive as they possibly can be. If any negativity comes into the mind when it’s our time to perform, then it’s no good," he added.