The Ashes: Ben Stokes’ rebuke of England team reminds Nasser Hussain of Jurgen Klopp’s management methods | Cricket News
Nasser Hussain said England captain Ben Stokes’ apparent reprimands towards some members of his team after the second Ashes Test reminded him of Jurgen Klopp’s management methods.
After England went down 2-0 in Brisbane last week following a second heavy defeat to start the five-Test series, Stokes said his dressing room was “no place for weak men”.
While Stokes said in a separate interview that his players were not “weak”, the skipper appeared to question his team’s mentality.
Analyzing England’s situation ahead of the start of the third Test in Adelaide on Tuesday, Aerial sports Pundit and former England captain Hussain has drawn a comparison with former Liverpool boss Klopp, who he interviewed for a 2023 documentary.
“It reminded me, I did this documentary on leadership with Jurgen Klopp and this quote from Klopp about how he manages and his relationship with his players, that he is their friend, but he is not their best friend,” Hussain said in the latest episode of the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“What he means by that is, ‘I’ll always be there for you until I feel like you’re letting me down, and then I won’t be your friend anymore.’
“That’s what I took away from Stokes’ press conference at the end: I looked after you, I supported you, I even pushed you in that direction.”
“Let’s be honest, he even asked them to play (like that), he came out and played like that.
“So he took them in this direction to play like that and now they don’t evaluate situations and handle pressure like he handles pressure and evaluates conditions and situations perfectly. Some of them don’t do that.”
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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 ‘problem’ for Stokes
England were in a strong position in the first Test in Perth before a second batting collapse of the match handed Australia victory in two days.
In Brisbane, a hugely disappointing performance on the field, including five dropped catches in Australia’s first innings, allowed the hosts to build a big lead that proved insurmountable.
Michael Atherton, former England captain and Hussain’s podcast co-host, warned that the problem with Stokes potentially turning against some members of his squad was the lack of strong options to replace them.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton debate Brendon McCullum’s ‘overprepared’ claim as England head into a crucial third Test against Australia in Adelaide.
Atherton said: “The problem is if you say you get to a stage where they’re not playing anymore and ‘you’re not my friend anymore, I’m going to leave you out’, the back-up options are pretty slim.”
England No.3 batter Ollie Pope’s place in the team has been the subject of media discussion following the disappointing nature of his dismissals in the opening matches, with Jacob Bethell appearing to be the most likely replacement.
Responding to Atherton’s concerns, Hussain said: “They have few options. It would either have to be re-jigged, 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 five-match series 2-0
