Michael Atherton says England can take heart from the Test series against Australia and India ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes. | Cricket news
Michael Atherton believes England can take encouragement from the recent Test series between Australia and India as Ben Stokes’ side prepare to face both teams in the next 12 months.
Australia were easily beaten by 295 runs in the first Test in Perth before fighting back to win the series 3-1, but Atherton has spotted vulnerabilities in the home side’s batting line-up, particularly with the former England captain “optimistic” of a first Ashes win Down Under from 2010/11
Travis Head and Yashavi Jaiswal were the only top batsmen from either side averaging more than 35 – 56.00 and 43.44 respectively – and although England’s scourge in the Ashes past, Steve Smith, matched Head’s two centuries for the series, he averaged modest 34.88, along with other great players, Virat Kohli (23.75), Rohit Sharma (6.20) and Marnus Labuschagne (25.77) are even worse.
England will host India in a five-Test series from June 20 this summer, live on Sky Sports Cricket, before traveling to Australia for the Ashes in November.
“The lack of form for India’s best players, Rohit, Virat and others, coupled with an over-reliance on [Jasprit] Bumrah was the difference in the end,” Atherton said in the latest episode Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“From England’s perspective, I felt they would have received a bit of encouragement… from both sides, actually.
“Both sides’ batting looks vulnerable. Australia also struggled; Usman Khawaja at the top, Smith got two hundreds but didn’t seem like the player he was and Labuschagne really struggled. Mitch Marsh dropped out and [Alex] Carey looked vulnerable to the ball coming back at him.
“Unlike maybe 20 or 30 years ago, when we were playing – when you’d look at the Aussie line-up and think, ‘how are we going to get 20 wickets here?’ – I see an avenue for England, if their bowlers are ready, where there could be some opportunities.
“I think they would have been reasonably encouraged by what they saw, although both sides played good, hard, competitive cricket and it was a fantastic series.”
Another reason for optimism in the England camp could be the age profile of their Australian counterparts.
With the introduction of attractive teenager Sam Konstas for the final two Tests of the series, Pat Cummins’ side contained zero players in their 20s and the rest in their 30s – including an aging bowling attack, with the captain the youngest by a couple of years at 31.
“[Mitchell] Starc, Cummins and [Josh] Hazlewood reigned so long, and [Scott] Boland as back-up, but they’re not spring chickens, are they?” Atherton added.
“Looking ahead to the next 12 months, they are at what you would think would be the twilight of a fast bowler’s career, although Jimmy Anderson [retiring at 41] maybe it suggests you can stretch it a bit more now.
“I suppose you could argue that with the entry of Konstas, Beau Webster, [Nathan] McSweeney did it, they’re starting to regenerate that side, but for the Boxing Day Test, it was a strange age profile for the team.”
All that said, Atherton still gives Australia a slight edge as favorites for next winter’s Ashes.
“I think England are favorites to beat India at home,” he added. “For the Ashes, you have to say Australia are favorites – because very few English teams have won and brought the Ashes back Down Under – but, for the first time since 2010/11, I’m relatively optimistic.”
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