England captain Ben Stokes says he is proud of the way his players "held firm" to win the fourth Ashes Test after a wave of criticism during the build-up to the match. Stokes said he was "very proud" of the way his side reacted to secure victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending an 18-match winless streak in Australia. "That was a test of character, a test of qualities of leadership. The way we went about it, not only in public, in terms of all the media and all that sort of stuff." Stokes said there was no sense from his players they had been distracted by the extra scrutiny following their controversial mid-series break in Noosa.

Source: BBC December 27, 2025 20:42 UTC