The Ashes series will kick-off in Perth in November 2025.
Like every time before, The Ashes series later this year promises to live up to the hype. The coveted rivalry will commence in Perth on November 21 and will be played across five Test matches till early 2026. England had a bitter end to their good series against India recently. The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was drawn at 2-2 after India scripted an emphatic victory at The Oval. But with the injury concerns lingering around Chris Woakes and captain Ben Stokes, the Englishmen will be in testing waters for a few months to come.
Former Australian legend and captain Ricky Ponting has provided his insights about how England might fare on the upcoming tour Down Under. After watching the English team play the five-match Test series against the Indians, Ponting stressed that their top-order will have to make an impact in Australia if England are to do well in The Ashes. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been on a spree since the appointment of Brendon McCullum as head coach in 2022.
It is very less likely that England will change their style of play for the important series. They are known to play an aggressive brand of cricket and will continue to do so. They have somehow managed to strike a balance between attack and defence, and have been successful in putting their foot on the accelerator at the right time. How Ben Stokes & Co. bat against the Australian pace attack will be interesting to witness.
“They probably hold the key in Australia. If they can bat really well at the top, and set things up, that will give them a good chance in the series”, said Ponting on England’s top-order.
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The Ashes series this year might be Australia’s bowling against England’s batting. Not that the other department for either teams will not have a say. But just like England’s batting, Australia’s bowling can keep them well in the game. Ultimately, the team that holds their nerves in moments of pressure will go on to clinch the series. But that is easier said than done. England managed to win pressure moments in their recently concluded series against India, and replicating that would be an uphill task.
The English batting is well-set. Since May 2022, Crawley and Duckett are the only opening pair in Test cricket to score more than 2000 runs. To add to that, their average of 46.5 is the second-highest in the world among pairs with 500+ runs, only behind Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne. Ollie Pope has not been in the best of forms lately, and will look to get his technical glitches right. Moreover, Joe Root’s resume still lacks a century on Australian soil. The second-highest Test run-scorer in the world would love to get that off his back. But overall, England’s batting looks good enough to se off the bowling of the mighty Australians.
Bowling will be one of Australia’s last concerns. On the other hand, they have slight concerns with their batting. Marnus Labuschagne will possibly be back in the Test side for the Ashes series. But Cameron Green batted at No.3 in their recent tour to the West Indies. And it is highly doubtful if they will go towards Labuschagne again. Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas’ performance in the Sheffield Shield will also play a huge role. To add to that, Beau Webster has been a vital cog in Australia’s side. So it is doubtful how much they will bank of Green. The bowling will be powered with Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
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