Ashes 2025: Stokes looks for positives as Cummins casts doubt on Lyon availability for Melbourne Test

England head to MCG with the Ashes already surrendered and Australia eyeing series whitewash without 'irreplaceable' spin bowler

England captain Ben Stokes shakes hands with Australia counterpart Pat Cummins after losing the third Testin Adelaide. Getty Images

England captain Ben Stokes believes there are positives to build on despite another bruising setback in the Ashes, insisting lessons learnt in defeat in Adelaide can help his side avoid a whitewash and claim a long-awaited victory Down Under.

Australia’s 82-run win in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday sealed an unassailable 3-0 lead and ensured the hosts retained the urn with two matches to spare.

However, England’s improved second-innings batting offered a sliver of encouragement for Stokes as the focus turns to Melbourne and Sydney, where the tourists will attempt to secure their first Test win in Australia since 2011.

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“I think some individuals have probably learned a lot more about themselves throughout this week than they did maybe a week or two ago,” Stokes said. “There were a lot of positives to take out of this game and for us to build on, not only into the two games left in the series, but also how cricket looks in the future.

“We had guys going out there in some pretty high-pressure moments and I thought they stood up very, very well. It’s obviously hard to look at it with too much positivity at the moment, because there’s a lot of emotion attached to where we are.”

England have struggled throughout the series and criticism has been levelled at the management over their preparation for Australian conditions. However, the resilience shown in Adelaide has restored a measure of belief within the camp.

“There’s much more clarity now,” Stokes added. “When guys are walking out to bat or coming on to bowl, there’s a better understanding of what is needed. But then it’s about executing that for long enough. If you don’t, you get punished.”

Starc: Experience counts

Meanwhile, the wealth of experience in Australia's ranks helped them remain calm in a difficult lead-up to the Ashes, fast ⁠bowler Mitchell Starc said.

Australia wrapped up the series in Adelaide on Sunday to retain the urn, putting an end to the criticism of the team's age profile that dominated the pre-Ashes discussion.

Starc said it was Australia's know-how ‌that proved crucial when injuries to captain Pat Cummins and paceman Josh Hazlewood left them ‍in a precarious position ahead ‍of the first Test in Perth.

"[Injuries] certainly didn't change the way that the ⁠group approached things heading into Perth. A lot was made about how old the group is and how experienced they are," he told reporters.

"Perhaps that's played into our hands, with having been through some good times, and some not so good times over the course of our careers together. Things have never gotten too high or low. If we haven't had a good day, it's pretty easy to move on from and learn from.

"For guys that have come in, less experienced or younger, I think that the freedom to express themselves as players but also learn from that experience has been beneficial in the way we've played our cricket."

Starc led Australia's bowling attack ⁠in the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, bowling 95.5 overs ​and taking a series-leading 22 ‍wickets across the first three matches.

The 35-year-old said his decision to retire from Twenty20 internationals and focus on Test ⁠cricket had ‌allowed him to perform at his best, adding: "I've made decisions with my body in mind, ⁠Test cricket has always been the priority ... I'm glad that it's going the way it is at the moment. It's probably not always going to be that way, so just enjoying it at the moment."

Australia's Nathan Lyon, centre, shakes hands with the England coaching staff following the conclusion of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. PA

Lyon a doubt for fourth Test

Australia captain Cummins cast doubt on Nathan Lyon's ability to recover in time for the fourth Ashes Test in ⁠Melbourne after the spinner injured his ‌right hamstring on the final day of the third Test.

Lyon left the Adelaide Oval on crutches just five days before the next meeting on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"It doesn't look great," said ‌Cummins. "Don't know yet, but seeing someone on crutches doesn't really bode well for a ‍Test match a week away.

Todd Murphy, Corey Rocchiccioli and Matthew Kuhnemann would be options to replace Lyon if the 38-year-old does not recover in time.

"[The] guy ‍is pretty close to irreplaceable. The ability to make breakthroughs, but also control ⁠an innings, is really important, so he's going to be hard to replace.

"But we've got some guys who have already had a taste of international cricket around the traps, other guys have done really well in domestic cricket.

"It's been one of the benefits of the Sri Lankan tours, the West Indies where we take a couple of spinners. There's guys that can step in and you feel like it's not going to be too overwhelming."

Australia captain Pat Cummins, right, is a fitness doubt for the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. AFP

Cummins is also likely to miss the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne as he manages his own return from injury.

Steve Smith ⁠would be expected to return to the batting line-up after ​missing the Adelaide Test due ‍to vertigo and would take over from Cummins as captain again should the fast bowler decide not to risk ⁠his fitness ahead ‌of the fifth Test in Sydney.

A return for Smith could also lead to a shake-up ⁠of Australia's batting order after Usman Khawaja impressed having initially been left out ⁠of the side in Adelaide prior to Smith's late withdrawal.

Khawaja responded to his last-minute call-up by hitting 112 runs across Australia's two innings and that performance could increase the pressure on underperformers such as Josh Inglis and Cameron Green.

"We feel like we got enough batters there to choose from," Cummins said about his side's batting line-up.

"I think this game ... we had a little opportunity to really bat them out of the game, and we didn't quite take it. But it was good enough."