It’s almost The Ashes. After all the talking, it’s finally time. England will begin their bid to win a Test Series in Australia since 2010/11 this Friday at Optus Stadium Perth (02.20am UK) with the first of five games.
The Sky Sports pundits Nasser Hassain and Mark Butcher were asked what the key is for the tourists who have lost thirteen and drawn two of their 15 last Tests in Australia, since that 3-1 victory 15 years ago.
Nasser and Butch also make their picks for leading run-scorer and wicket-taker, assess whether tempers will flare, and tell us how they see the series panning out…
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Ben Stokes, England captain, says he’s ‘desperate to win The Ashes’ this winter
England’s keys for the series? We have seen me make a mess of the toss before, Steve Harmison throwing to second slip, Rory Burns being bowled on first ball, Simon Jones becoming injured, Michael Vaughan missing catches, etc.
England will have a big opportunity to win in Perth without Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood or a slightly vulnerable top order for Australia.
It is important to understand that conditions are different. For example, 17 wickets fell in the first day of the Perth test between Australia and India during last winter. They must also find a good balance between attacking and defending. If the ball is moving a little, they like to play more but also make sure you have a good defence.
England’s other key is to be ruthless. In the last Ashes at home, England were not always ruthless. In the first test, they played good cricket and lost. They lost at Lord’s after a great start.
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Adam Collins, Australian Cricket Journalist, talks about England’s chances to win the first Ashes match with Josh Hazlewood (home seamer) and Pat Cummins (home spinner) ruled out.
If I was captain in the first two matches, where the pitches will be more seamer-friendly I would have wanted someone like Will Jacks, or Jacob Bethell, to come in at the No. 7 or 8, as lower-order runs are important. England has not taken that route. As Nasser said, the short ball from Australia will likely come into play and the size of the boundaries will force England to be disciplined or stick the balls out of the park.
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Steve Smith will lead Australia against England in the Ashes first match. Cummins is out (back).
It will be a double blow for Australia if Labuschagne scores runs at No. 3 and stops Smith from coming in too early. Alex Carey, who is a streetfighter and one of my favourite players at No 7, is another player that I admire. Head can do that.
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Travis Head, Australia’s Travis Head, could be a dangerous man if the Tests are accelerated at a rapid pace
What do you think of England’s pre-match preparation?NASSER : I would have preferred to see them do more, but with the schedule as it is, there is not much time to do so. Plus, I appreciate the fact that this England regime has not blinkered. Why would they suddenly change their ways when it comes to such an important series? They always do what they believe is right, so why would they do anything differently when it comes to it? Ben Stokes and Brendon Mccullum have started most series well and then faded at the end. You can’t ease into it. You have to be ready from the first ball.
Adam Collins, cricket journalist from Australia, gives us a view of the country.
England’s key to the series? Perth should be a place where you can react to the situation and not worry about what might happen.
What is the most feared Australian? Marnus Labuschagne.
Leading run-scorer? Marnus Labuschagne.
Leading wicket-taker? Josh Tongue.
What have you made of England’s preparation? The combination of being too busy (pointless White-ball Series in New Zealand) or not busy enough (only one tour game in Australia).
Will Joe Root make a century score? Multiple.
Can tempers flare up? No. This will be left up to the loudest voices in social media.
Series prediction? No Test is completed on a 5th day.
England has had varying degrees of preparation since 2010/11 and hitting the ground running. They haven’t won a Test match. England has had varying degrees of preparation since 2010/11, when they played a lot more warm-up matches and hit the ground running. They haven’t yet won a test match. If they’re not ready, it’s their fault. Stokes and McCullum’s attitude towards warm-up matches has been the same since the beginning, so this is not something new. They’ll be judged by the end.
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Stokes, in a recent interview, defended England for its slack Ashes preparations
This series is very important to many people. There is a great deal of emotion and I hope that players can show it. Bazball may have riled them up, or even more. Many people are looking forward to the series to fail. Australia is also agitated by the furore surrounding the Jonny Bairstow and Alex Carey stumping of 2023. If things go wrong for England, then they will take advantage.
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Check out some of the most intense moments of the 2023 Ashes Series, including Alex Carey’s stomping of Jonny Bairstow
The cricket will likely be high-octane, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some argy bargy breaks out.
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Stuart Broad has been a leading Aussie baiter throughout his career, but he is now in commentary boxes and not the field.
Joe Root being the top run-scorer would make a great story if Joe had a fantastic series. Joe having a fantastic series would be an amazing story.
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Mark Butcher has backed Jofra Archer (pictured) as England’s most prolific wicket-taker
The series could go either way. I don’t know how it will end but it is sure to be exciting. I can’t see it going 5-0, but I don’t have a scoreline. Ashes series in Australia, 2025-26UK and IrelandFirst test: Friday November 21, Tuesday November 25, (2.20am), Optus Stadium PerthSecond (day/night), Thursday December 4, Monday December 8, (4am), The Gabba BrisbaneThird test: Wednesday December 17, Sunday December 21, (11.30pm), Adelaide OvalFourth test: Thursday Dec 25 – Monday Dec 29 (11.30pm), Melbourne Cricket GroundFifth test: Sunday January 4, Thursday January 8, 11:30pm – Sydney Cricket Ground
2025-11-20 12:00:00
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