Ahead of the 3rd Ashes test in Adelaide, it looks bleak for England. Two-nil down in the series. Two eight-wicket defeats. Fifteen defeats in the last seventeen tests in Australia (the other two were draws). Not even a single match has been won since the 2010-11 series, when they last took the urn home.
Why so much optimism before the start of the series?
Many pundits were pointing to this 25-26 tour of Australia as a real opportunity for England to take back the Ashes for the first time since 2015 – except Glenn McGrath, who always predicts 5-0 Australia!
An ageing Australian team – with fitness concerns over Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. An unsettled batting line-up, and Steve Smith is no longer the same irresistible force that he once was.
Added to this was England’s meticulous nurturing of Jofra Archer to launch him into the series at full pelt – hopefully alongside their other speedster Mark Wood. (Wood’s series is now over due to injury after a 2-day First Test).
The ‘attacking brand’ of cricket that England have showcased under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes is always entertaining. But it doesn’t always win. The 2-2 draw with India in Summer 2025 was enthralling right up to the final moments at The Oval.
That said, the previous trips Down Under had resulted in the following outcomes in Australia’s favour: 5-0, 4-0, and 4-0 again, most recently. Therefore, winning just one match would’ve been worthy of huge celebrations. After all, the Aussies are probably the best ‘frontrunners’ in cricket when they get their noses in front.
Is there any hope?
In the last Ashes series in England in 2023, Australia led 2-0 after two close contests – before England stormed back to draw 2-2. In addition, the match at Old Trafford was also rained off with England firmly in the ascendancy. Therefore, they must take heart from this – even if it was on home soil.
England must hope that Ben Stokes comes up with one of his ‘clutch’ moments to turn a match in their favour. If he doesn’t, then Archer must shine with the ball – and Joe Root and Harry Brook must come to the party with the bat.
Their fielding surely can’t be any worse than the FIVE dropped chances in Brisbane. Catch everything, or there’s even less chance than slim.
Will Pat Cummins need time to get back into his rhythm? If so, England may have some joy at a venue that could suit the batsmen with shorter boundaries.
What to expect in Adelaide?
More of the same from Australia. Consistent line and length from the bowlers, and putting England under pressure constantly. After all, England must be close to perfect from here on in to reclaim the Ashes.
England look set to replace Gus Atkinson with Josh Tongue – and Will Jacks stays in ahead of Shoaib Bashir.
They have been in some promising positions in the matches, but it has all then unravelled far too soon. A closer game than the first two tests – or at least a nail-biting defeat would be an improvement.
Captain Ben Stokes has called for ‘fight, grit and determination’ as he looks to avoid another whitewash for England. Surely becoming ‘hard to beat’ gives you a better chance of winning – or at least gaining a foothold in the match.
Zak Crawley is a man under pressure – and the hosts will jump all over this. Archer and Smith’s head-to-head at the back end of the Brisbane test was lively but ultimately too little, too late for the bowler. He now needs to bring that fire in his first spells in this test when it’s all to play for.
Lose this one, and it’ll be a very downbeat Christmas for the visiting party. No one wants to be heading into the 4th ‘Boxing Day’ test at 3-0 down – with only pride left to play for.
