Brendon McCullum: England’s highs and lows in the baseball era

So perhaps the result that ended baseball in many minds, even if it didn’t actually: is the Ashes spilling over in Australia.

At the end of the first day in Perth, England seemed a distant memory.

Despite being bowled out for 172, the visitors were set to take their first lead after taking Australia to 123-9.

Even after lunch on the second day, all was well for England as they led by just one wicket over a hundred.

Then everything went wrong.

From a 65-1 to an 88-6 fall, Travis Head smashed all the units and suffered a loss in two days.

Australia needed a bit longer to finish them off on a day-night in Brisbane but still won comfortably, and with a little more fight in Adelaide late on, it was too late and Ash’s dream is over.

All this with the Australian side having Pat Cummins for the first two Tests (and rested for the last two), Josh Hazlewood for the entire series and Steve Smith for the third.

The win in Melbourne, Australia’s first in 15 years, provided plenty of consolation.

McCullum was given another chance but a 2-1 series defeat in New Zealand to start the summer of 2026. He was expelled from England.