Former cricketer backs Ravi Shastri to replace Brendon McCullum as England head coach after Ashes defeat

Former England spinner Monty Panesar has called for a coaching shake-up after England’s Ashes 2025-26 loss, backing Ravi Shastri as a potential replacement for Brendon McCullum.

Ravi Shastri (Image Credit: ICC)

England's Ashes defeats have been frequent in the past few years despite having a new head coach in the form of Brendon McCullum. Before a decade ago, in 2015, England last won the Ashes series, 3-2, when Australia were the visitors.

In Australia, the series victory came in 2010-11. England have always prioritised Test cricket over other formats and despite that, the performance throughout the years have been disappointing.

Pointing out the mistakes, former English cricketer Mony Panesar advised ECB to look for other options as head coach, and suggested Ravi Shastri's name for the role. Shastri, who was India's coach when Virat Kohli was the captain, dominated Australia in Test cricket. He, along with Kohli, made some serious changes to the team and during practice sessions that helped them stay consistent on the field.

"You have to think, who exactly knows how to beat Australia? How will you take advantage of Australia's weakness, mentally, physically, and tactically. I think Ravi Shastri should become England's next head coach," said Panesar during an interaction with journalist Ravi Bisht.

Should ECB change Brendon McCullum as England's head coach?

While Brendon McCullum has openly admitted his interest in staying as England's head coach for a longer time, it's high time for ECB to take a big step for the team's future. Under McCullum, England have won 15 and lost 16 out of 33 Tests and have failed to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final even once.

With some of the best Test players in the world, England have failed to prouduce some extraordinary performance in the format and that's concerning. The ECB should investigate the real reasons behind he defeats and should make changes around the dressing room that might help the team in the future. McCullum revealed that staying as head coach isn't in his hands and he will 'keep doing his job' in the future.

"I don't know. It's not really up to me, is it? I'll just keep trying to do the job, trying to learn the lessons I haven't quite got right here and try to make some adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me," said McCullum.

Where to watch the Australia vs England match?

Cricket fans in India can watch the Australia vs England 4th Test match on December 26

online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Former India bowler blames Test series loss against SA on Kohli-Rohit transition, makes eye-opening claim

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