England fans were urged by Brendan McCollum to “keep the faith” after the tourists lost to the Ashes in Perth on two days, with the manager also lending his support to Jack Crawley after the opener.
England suffered a crushing defeat at the Optus Stadium as an Ashes Test was completed in two days for the first time since 1921, with the visitors suffering stunning batting collapses in both innings.
The second Test, a day-night event in Brisbane, begins on December 4.
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Sky Sports’ Stuart Broad was left stunned as Mitchell Starc took the wicket of Joe Root during England’s second-day batting collapse in Perth. (Photo @7Cricket)
“We are very disappointed, but we are also very disappointed for all the fans who came out here to support us,” McCollum said.
“We want to keep the faith, we have a talented group, we believe in each other and the standard is pretty high.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt, but the best way to start again is to do what you did before you felt pressured: stay alert and keep moving toward your goal.
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Sky Sports pundit Nasser Hussain looks at how England were embarrassed by Travis Head in Perth and how they will now be ‘hammered’ by the media.
“We will head to Brisbane with high hopes and expectations and see where we stand.
“We can’t move on from this (result). We’ve been trying to prevent things from going wrong for some time.
“For us, connectivity and camaraderie is something we pride ourselves on and we will need that over the next few days.”
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Nasser and fellow Sky Sports pundit Michael Atherton received a huge round of applause from fans as they recorded their Ashes review podcast on Saturday!
McCullum expects a ‘rebound’ from Crawley.
Crawley registered the first pair in an England opener since Michael Atherton in Johannesburg in 1999, dismissing Mitchell Starc in the first over of both innings, with his Test average now below 31.
In 109 innings across 60 Tests, the right-hander has recorded 44 single-digit dismissals.
McCullum added: “We believe he is a good player, especially against this type of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He was out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.
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Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton and Hussain discuss how England can bounce back from their shock defeat to Australia for the second straight day.
“He’s been part of this group for a long time, and the (opening) combination with Ben Duckett and Zak has allowed us to get into the game as best as we can, and I expect we’ll see a strong bounce-back from Zak in a little while to come.
“Sometimes you get out on the cheap. I wish I hadn’t done that, but that’s life. If that person gets out, you might lose money.”
speaking about Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Former England player Stuart Broad said Crawley would be “devastated” and in a “terrible place” after how the Perth Test went for him.
Ashes series 2025-26 in Australia
Always UK and Ireland
- First Test (Perth – 21-25 November): Australia beat England by 8 wickets.
- Second test (day/night): Thursday 4 December – Monday 8 December (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
- Third test: Wednesday 17 December – Sunday 21 December (11.30pm) – Adelaide Oval
- Fourth test: Thursday 25 December – Monday 29 December (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Fifth test: Sunday 4 January – Thursday 8 January (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
