Stokes stands by coach McCullum

Golf needs stars facing each other

- BY RORY DOLLARD

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 (starting 11.30pm tonight GMT) with the fate of the regime's key decision-makers still under the microscope.

With his unmatched influence in the dressing room and no obvious contenders to replace him, Stokes' 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.