BEN STOKES rounded on his players and said the England dressing room is no place for “weak men”.
Captain Stokes declared it is “obvious” his team crumble in the big moments and lack fight.
It is the first time since he became skipper in 2022 that he has attacked his players so angrily and publicly.
After England lost the Second Test in Brisbane by eight wickets to go 2-0 down in The Ashes, Stokes said: “There’s a saying that Australia is not for weak men.
“And a dressing room I’m captain of is not a place for weak men, either.
“It’s very disappointing. A lot of it comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this format when the game’s on the line.
“In small passages, we’ve been able to get some kind of control — and then let it slip. We’ve done it again this week. We need to think harder about those moments. Overall, we need to show a bit more fight.
“It’s not a skill thing because there are some incredibly gifted players in that dressing room.
“We’ll be having some conversations that we’ll keep in the dressing room.”
England were outplayed by the Aussies, whose star bowler Mitchell Starc was named player of the match at the Gabba for his eight-wicket haul.
The left-handed paceman now has 18 wickets for the series to help the hosts into a 2-0 lead — and it will take a miracle for England to draw the series, let alone win it, with three Tests to go.
Stokes is convinced England’s problems are mainly in the head.
He added: “We’re a great team when we’re ahead but, when the game is on the line, we’re not able to stand up to pressure. As captain, it’s starting to become obvious.
“We’ve all been guilty of it, maybe letting the pressure, the occasion, the circumstances get to us.
“I have full belief in the players and coaching staff. We know we’ve got to win these next three games.
“We’re not going to shy away from the battle.”
