Ashes 2025-26: 'England's cockiness cost the Ashes, Australia are laughing at them' - Former captain

Former England captain Michael Vaughan launched a scathing attack on Ben Stokes and Co. after they were beaten by Australia by 82 runs in the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, December 21. With this win, Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series and retained the Ashes.

Vaughan opined that the 'cockiness' with which England have played their cricket in the Bazball era has come back to haunt them. He was particularly disappointed as England went down in the series inside 11 days. While the third Test was decided on the fifth day, the first two Tests finished in two and four days, respectively.

“The whole approach of this England side has been badly exposed on this Ashes tour, and you don’t have to look far into history to know that heads will roll after a defeat like this. In the end, with defeat inside 11 days, it’s the worst I can remember in Australia. England have had a cockiness about them for three years, and the entire cricketing world has wanted to shut them up as a result. This tour has been humbling for them,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

Vaughan feels that England's philosophy of being ultra-aggressive in Australia has been detrimental to their chances of winning. The former England opener noted that teams which have done well Down Under are the ones that have been prepared to grind the opposition down and bowl with a lot of discipline. He admitted that the Three Lions had brought neither of them to the table.

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“Aussies are laughing. They can’t believe how fragile this team have been given the quality in the side. England have had a message shoved down their throat for four years that this style would win in Australia. I don’t know where that came from. The only teams I’ve seen win in Australia have been those willing to do the hard yards, grind the opposition down, and have a bowling unit that bowled with great discipline. We have neither,” he added.