Stuart Broad Singles Out 'Under Pressure' Ashes Player Who Faces England Axe

Stuart Broad believes that one England player is 'under pressure' to keep his place in the Test team after the 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.

England play their first competitive match since the Ashes concluded on Thursday, with the first of three One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka taking place in Colombo.

Their batting selection for the match is largely the same as the one that played the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, with wicket-keeper Jos Buttler playing instead of Jamie Smith.

The T20 World Cup takes place in February, with a break then until the first Test series of the 2026 summer takes place against New Zealand in June.

Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer are among the 13 England players signed up to the Indian Premier League, but the remaining members of England's Test squad will play the opening rounds of the County Championship season - where some may need to score runs more than others.

Broad believes that opener Zak Crawley, who averaged 27 Down Under with two half-centuries, is one of those players, suggesting he is now 'under pressure'.

Crawley has been the main opener of choice throughout most of Brendon McCullum's reign as coach since 2022, but his lack of consistency has been a repeated criticism levelled at his batting technique.

The Kent opener has a Test average of 31, with his 2025/26 Ashes series - the occasional impressive knock alongside a number of early dismissals - essentially mirroring his Test career to date.

Speaking on the 'For The Love Of Cricket' podcast alongside former England white-ball captain Buttler, Broad said: "[Asa] Tribe at Paarl Royals, he's getting a decent rep. I've seen him play a couple of nice shots in the SA20 - again a different standard.

"Crawley's probably the one that's under pressure at the top of the order. I guess if they wanted to bed a bit of blood in, they could do that.

"There's no new names, outside of the guys that were in Australia as the main team and the Lions underneath, that I'd expect to break through out of nowhere.

"Jordan Cox is one that, [in the] white ball stuff, has done pretty well. Not had much opportunity at the top level, but looks like he's a decent talent.

"He might be someone who might put Jamie Smith's spot under pressure if he has a lean start to the summer.

"But I can't see any new names, apart from the young opener from Glamorgan [Tribe]."

Tribe, 21, scored a century for England Lions against Australia A over the winter, and scored his maiden first-class 200 for Glamorgan in the County Championship last season.

Buttler, who has played against the 21-year-old in the SA20 franchise league over recent weeks, added: "He looks a good talent.

"You know when you see a player, and you think they look... the way he carries himself, he looks confident. Plays some nice shots. He's obviously still a young boy."

Essex wicket-keeper Cox, meanwhile, has been unfortunate in not yet making his England Test debut.

He has been a part of multiple squads, and was set to deputise for Jamie Smith in New Zealand in 2024 when the Surrey wicket-keeper stayed at home for the birth of his first child.

But he suffered a broken thumb during the warm-up match and missed the entire series, allowing Jacob Bethell - a debut Ashes centurion in Sydney this month - to win his first Test cap.