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Harry Brook called out for leaving Ben Stokes to shoulder the fallout: 'I've never heard him come out...'
Alyssa Healy came to Ben Stokes’ defence amid the rising criticism around England’s Ashes struggles, saying the skipper is carrying more blame than he should.
England find themselves under growing pressure after back-to-back defeats in the opening Ashes Tests in Australia. Ben Stokes’ side has struggled to match the hosts’ intensity, often letting crucial moments slip and failing to sustain control across sessions. Batting collapses, wavering discipline with the ball, and missed opportunities have deepened the scrutiny as Australia tightens its grip on the series.
Stokes, too, hasn’t been able to pull his team out of difficult situations, and the much-talked-about Bazball approach is drawing criticism for its lack of impact against top opposition. Instead of turning the tide, the aggressive style has seen players buckle under pressure while trying to force the tempo.
Alyssa Healy came to Ben Stokes’ defence amid the rising criticism around England’s Ashes struggles, saying the skipper is carrying more blame than he should. Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Healy praised Stokes for consistently fronting up after every defeat and refusing to deflect responsibility. "I actually think Ben Stokes shoulders too much of the accountability for everything. I have full praise for him. He stands there at the end of every Test match that they lose and says, 'I'll take accountability for this, this, [and] this. I did this wrong, I did that wrong.'," Healy said on the Willow Talk podcast.
Harry Brook under fire for avoiding responsibility
The Australian women's team skipper further questioned the lack of accountability within England’s dressing room, suggesting that too much responsibility is being dumped on Stokes while others escape scrutiny. She pointed out that senior players should own their errors publicly, instead of leaving the captain to front every tough moment alone, calling it a worrying pattern.
"How about taking a little bit of load off your captain? 'Hi, my name's Harry Brook, I played a shocking shot twice in this Test match (Brisbane) and I put our team under the pump unnecessarily twice'. I've never heard him come out and say that. There's your captain standing there sticking up for him, saying, 'I did this wrong, I did that wrong.' For me, that screams trouble, and that's creating a bubble environment that he and Brendon [McCullum] are trying to empower their players to be good enough to be out there and compete."
