England do not need massive change after Ashes - Stokes

Captain Ben Stokes has insisted England do not have to make a "massive change", despite their 4-1 hammering in Australia.

England came in for criticism for their approach on and off the field during the Ashes tour, but a review into the series did not lead to changes in management.

Director of cricket Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum remain in their posts, while Stokes will lead England into the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday (11:00 BST).

"Honestly, it's not rocket science," all-rounder Stokes told BBC Sport. "We know how to win games of cricket, but we admit that sometimes, especially over the past 18 months, we've contributed towards losing games of cricket on too much of a consistent basis."

Stokes, who turns 35 on the first day of the three-Test series, took charge of England in 2022. His win percentage as captain – 54.76% - is the best of any England men's captain in the past 45 years.

But despite losing only one home series since 2014, England have fallen short of winning marquee series against India and Australia. A 2-2 draw at home with India last summer was followed by the dismal Ashes.

That disappointment was compounded by pre-series expectations that England could win down under for the first time 2010-11, especially with Australia so badly hit by injuries to key players.

Speaking to the media for the first time since losing the fifth Ashes Test in January, Stokes said: "Obviously it hurt. Anyone who thinks losing any series, let alone an Ashes away from home when you went there with big expectations – if that doesn't hurt, then it would be a bit silly to not feel like that.

"Time is a great healer. You go through a lot of emotions.

"You sort of make things up in your head, but when you go over things in detail, it actually becomes pretty simple. You're very clear in your head about what you want to do going forward.

"It's not massive change, to be honest. As much as people want to hear us say that, it's not.

"It's being a lot smarter in those big moments in games, because I will admit that consistently when we were in the balance, when it was neither one way nor the other, we consistently let ourselves down."

Figure caption,

Ben Stokes on swapping positions in the batting order with Jamie Smith

After England revealed the outcomes of the Ashes review in March, Stokes posted a passionate message to supporters on social media.

"I love being England captain and I have got so much more to give to this role," Stokes wrote on Instagram.