Stokes: I see my England future with McCullum

Captain backs Bazball as Potts set for debut in fifth Test

- RORY DOLLARD IN SYDNEY

Ben Stokes believes splitting up his “Bazball” double act with Brendon McCullum would be the wrong solution for England’s Ashes disappointment.

England handed the urn to Australia with three defeats in 11 chastening days before ending their 15-year winless streak Down Under with victory in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

One more chance awaits when they line up for the series finale in Sydney tomorrow, where Matthew Potts is expected to make his Ashes debut and spinner Shoaib Bashir could make a dramatic return after making the 12-man squad.

With his unmatched influence in the dressing room and no obvious contenders to replace him, Stokes's position as captain appears on considerably firmer footing than McCullum's.

But the pair have worked at close quarters over the past three-and-a-half years, and Stokes is certain they are best placed to pick up the pieces from an anticlimactic tour.