Sydney, Jan. 8 -- After his side's England Ashes series loss, England skipper Ben Stokes warned his team of his "ruthless side", saying that the team would not be able to progress unless some "pretty honest and truthful conversations" take place.

England's quest for an Ashes series win Down Under had been finished at Adelaide itself. After snapping an 18-Test winless run in Australia at Melbourne, pride was all England had left to play for. Besides scintillating centuries from Joe Root and Jacob Bethell and a fine 84 in the first innings by Harry Brook, there were very few positives for England, especially with the ball at Sydney's New Year's Test. Despite putting up 384 runs on the board in the first innings and securing a well-fought 1...