The Ultimate Rivalry Returns: A Look Ahead to The Ashes 2025-26 in Australia

The most storied rivalry in cricket is set to reignite as England travels Down Under for the Men’s Ashes Series 2025-26. Following a drawn series in England in 2023, the battle for the iconic Urn moves to Australia, where England has not tasted series victory since the 2010-11 tour. This upcoming series is poised to be a definitive test of England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ philosophy against a formidable Australian squad on their home turf.

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📅 The 2025-26 Ashes Fixture in Australia

Cricket Australia has locked in the traditional five-Test series schedule, spanning the peak of the Australian summer from late November 2025 to early January 2026. Notably, for the first time since the early 1980s, the series will not open at The Gabba, with Perth Stadium getting the nod for the first Test.

Match	Date	Venue	City
1st Test	Nov 21–25, 2025	Perth Stadium	Perth
2nd Test (D/N)	Dec 4–8, 2025	The Gabba	Brisbane
3rd Test	Dec 17–21, 2025	Adelaide Oval	Adelaide
4th Test	Dec 26–30, 2025	MCG (Boxing Day)	Melbourne
5th Test	Jan 4–8, 2026	SCG (New Year’s)	Sydney

The schedule retains the beloved centerpiece events: the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the New Year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The Day/Night Test returns to Brisbane’s Gabba, where the pink ball will offer an unpredictable, potentially game-changing element, especially under lights.

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📊 Ashes Stats: Australia’s Dominance Down Under

Historically, the Ashes series has been a tight contest, but recent years and tours to Australia have heavily favoured the home side. England’s lack of a Test match victory in Australia since their series win in 2010-11 underscores the monumental task ahead.

Series & Match Head-to-Head (All Time)

Record	Australia	England
Series Won	34	32
Series Drawn	6	6
Matches Won (Total)	142	110

All-Time Batting & Bowling Records (In Australia)

Australian legends dominate the overall Ashes record books, reflecting their long-term strength in the rivalry.

• Most Runs (All Ashes): Sir Donald Bradman (Australia) – 5,028 runs at an average of 89.78.
• Most Wickets (All Ashes): Shane Warne (Australia) – 195 wickets at an average of 23.25.
• Highest Individual Score (All Ashes): Len Hutton (England) – 364 in 1938.

Key Player Stats: Root vs. Smith in Australia

The performance of the current generation’s batting titans, Joe Root and Steve Smith, highlights the challenge for England on Australian pitches.

Player	Innings in Australia	Test Runs in Australia	Test Average in Australia	Ashes Hundreds in Australia
Joe Root (England)	27	892	$35.68$	0
Steve Smith (Australia)	100	5,015	$59.70$	19

Joe Root’s struggle to convert his prolific global form into a Test century in Australia remains a major talking point and a psychological hurdle for the England team.

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🏏 The Defining Moment for ‘Bazball’

England’s aggressive, attacking ‘Bazball’ strategy, led by captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, successfully salvaged a 2-2 draw in the 2023 home series. However, the true litmus test for this philosophy has always been its application against Australia on their traditionally bouncy and fast-paced pitches.

Since their last win, England have faced heavy defeats on their Australian tours (4-0 in 2021-22, 4-0 in 2017-18, and 5-0 in 2013-14). Their hopes this time will hinge on:

1. High-Pace Bowling: The historical blueprint for English success in Australia is built on genuine, high-pace bowling to unsettle the Australian batters. The fitness and firepower of their fast bowlers will be critical.
2. Joe Root’s Hundred: For England to secure a series-defining win, their most consistent batter, Joe Root, will need to finally break his drought and register a big century on Australian soil.
3. Capitalizing on Momentum: With the series opener in Perth—a change from the traditional Gabba start—the English team has a chance to seize early momentum on an unknown quantity for the opening match, potentially unsettling the hosts.

For Australia, the mission is simple: leverage their intimidating home record, rely on the consistency of their senior players like Steve Smith, and utilize their well-rounded, fast-bowling attack to defend the Urn on a continent where they have been virtually invincible for the past decade and a half.

The Ashes 2025-26 is set up to be a dramatic clash of cricketing philosophies and a high-stakes chapter in the game’s greatest rivalry.

Here are the confirmed teams for the 1st Test in Perth:

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🇦🇺 Australia XI for the First Test (Confirmed)

Australia enters the series with some notable injuries, ruling out key fast bowlers Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring). This has paved the way for two debutants. Steve Smith steps in as the stand-in captain.

Role	Player	Notes
Opener	Usman Khawaja	Experienced top-order player.
Opener	Jake Weatherald	Debut – New opening partner for Khawaja.
No. 3	Marnus Labuschagne	Returns to his preferred No. 3 spot.
No. 4	Steve Smith (c)	Stand-in Captain, key batter.
No. 5	Travis Head	Middle-order power-hitter.
All-rounder	Cameron Green	Wins the all-rounder spot at No. 6.
Wicketkeeper	Alex Carey (wk)	Keeping duties and lower-order stability.
Bowler	Mitchell Starc	Will lead the pace attack in the absence of Cummins/Hazlewood.
Bowler	Nathan Lyon	Primary spin option.
Bowler	Scott Boland	Replaces the injured Pat Cummins.
Bowler	Brendan Doggett	Debut – High-pace seamer replacing Josh Hazlewood.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 12-Man Squad for the First Test (Final XI TBD)

England’s team is focused on raw pace, including the return of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. The biggest selection question is whether they will field a fifth fast bowler or include a specialist spinner.

Player	Role	Notes on Selection
Ben Stokes (c)	All-rounder	Captain and vital all-round contribution.
Jofra Archer	Fast Bowler	Set to form a fiery pace attack.
Gus Atkinson	Fast Bowler	Young, high-pace option.
Shoaib Bashir	Off-Spin Bowler	The specialist spinner, may be dropped for an extra seamer.
Harry Brook	Batter	Key aggressive middle-order batter.
Brydon Carse	Fast Bowler	Another pace option, enhancing the ‘Bazball’ approach.
Zak Crawley	Opener	The aggressive opening batter.
Ben Duckett	Opener	Crawley’s opening partner.
Ollie Pope	Batter	Expected to bat at No. 3.
Joe Root	Batter	The anchor of the batting line-up.
Jamie Smith (wk)	Wicketkeeper	Selected over Ben Foakes.
Mark Wood	Fast Bowler	His fitness is key; if he plays, England will have two genuine express pacers.

The main decision for England captain Ben Stokes is whether to drop Shoaib Bashir to play a five-man seam attack consisting of Archer, Wood, Atkinson, Carse, and Stokes himself, exploiting the traditionally fast Perth pitch.