NEW DELHI: England captain Ben Stokes offered a blunt assessment after his team slipped to an eight-wicket loss in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.

With the series now at 2-0, Stokes admitted England repeatedly failed to handle decisive moments despite having enough talent in the squad.

Also READ: England collapse despite Ben Stokes’ resistance as Australia take 2-0 lead in Brisbane

Pressure moments slipping away

Stokes said the side has struggled to absorb pressure and allowed Australia to seize control whenever the match reached a critical phase.

“Yeah, obviously very disappointing. I think a lot of it comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format. When the game is on the line in small passages we’ve brought it back at times and then let it slip away again.”

He also stressed that the issue is not technical ability. Instead, England have been outmatched mentally in the clutch periods, allowing Australia to dominate the phases that matter.

“It’s definitely not a skill thing because there are incredibly gifted players in that dressing room. They say Australia isn’t the place for weak men. We’re definitely not weak, but we need to find something.”

Stokes added that England failed to execute their bowling plans consistently, giving Australia too much freedom with the bat. He admitted the momentum shifted too quickly and too easily against his side.

“We knew exactly how we needed to bowl on that wicket and we weren’t able to do it long enough to put the Australian batsmen under pressure. Australia keep outdoing us in those pressure phases.”

Stoke’s resistance not enough

Stokes offered England brief resistance on day four with a gritty half-century, working hard to steady the innings under rising pressure. Despite his effort, England remained outplayed, leaving Stokes’ fightback as one of the few positives in another difficult outing.