Nasser Hussain says England captain Ben Stokes’ apparent rebuke of some members of his team after the second Ashes Test reminded him of Jurgen Klopp’s management methods.
After England were beaten 2-0 in Brisbane last week after a second heavy defeat to open the five-Test series, Stokes said his dressing room was “not a place for weak men”.
While Stokes said in a separate interview that his players were not “weak”, the captain appeared to question his team’s mentality.
Analyzing the situation in England ahead of the start of the third Test in Adelaide on Tuesday, Ski Sports Pundit and former England captain Hussain has drawn comparisons with former Liverpool manager Klopp, who he interviewed for the 2023 documentary.
“It reminded me of doing that leadership documentary with Jurgen Klopp and that quote from Klopp about how he manages and his relationship with his players, that he’s their friend but not their best friend,” Hussain said in the latest episode. Ski Sports Cricket Podcast.
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Australian radio station 92.7 Mix FM found the England cricket team relaxing on the beach to go sledding, which was carried away by Ben Stokes in good spirits!
“What he means by that is, ‘I’ll always be there for you until I feel like you let me down, and then I’m not your friend anymore.’
“That’s what I got in the Stokes press conference at the end – I cared about you, I supported you, I even pushed you in this direction.
“Let’s be honest, he even asked them to play (like that), he went out and played like that.”
“So he took them in this direction to play like this and now they don’t judge situations and handle pressure like he perfectly handles pressure and judges conditions and situations. Some of them didn’t.”
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Captain Ben Stokes insists England have not given up hope of winning the Ashes – but admits his side were unable to withstand the pressure Australia put on them.
“Thin options” create a “problem” for Stokes
England were in a strong position in the first Test in Perth before a second batting collapse of the match gave Australia victory in two days.
In Brisbane, a very disappointing fielding that included five lost catches in Australia’s first innings allowed the hosts to build a big lead that proved insurmountable.
Hussain’s fellow former England captain and co-podcast host Michael Atherton warned that the problem with Stokes potentially involving some of his squad is the lack of strong options to replace them.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton discuss Brendon McCullum’s ‘over-prepared’ claim as England head into the crucial third Test against Australia in Adelaide.
Atherton said: “The problem is, though, if you say you’re getting to a stage where they’re not performing and ‘you’re not my friend anymore, I’m going to leave you out’, the back-up options are pretty slim.
England third man Ollie Pope’s place in Ollie Pope’s squad has come under discussion in the media following the disappointing nature of his dismissals in the opening matches, with Jacob Bethel looking the most likely replacement.
Referring to Atherton’s concerns, Hussain said: “They are (weak in terms of options). It would have to be either re-jigging, which none of us really like, with Will Jacks or something, or Bethell coming in after a few runs.”
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
Australia leads the five-match series 2-0