England’s Bazball faces its biggest test in Ashes 2025-26, with Australia’s fiery bowling attack ready to counter the juggernaut.
England’s Bazball approach in Tests isn’t new anymore. It has its fair share of success and failure. Several teams, including Australia, India, and New Zealand, among others, have been able to counter it on many occasions. However, the upcoming Ashes 2025/26 is designed to be the first stage where both teams will face their respective challenges of Bazball.
England, under Ben Stokes’ leadership, introduced their aggressive batting approach, keeping this Ashes winter in mind. They decided to build a young team with an aim to win the urn back. For Pat Cummins’ army, it will be their first challenge at home. They went through the same litmus test during the 2023 Ashes in England.
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England’s poor Test record in Australia during Ashes series
The current Ashes urn is with Australia after they won the 2021/22 home series by a 4-0 margin. The last Ashes series win for the Three Lions down under was back in 2010/11, under Andre Strauss’ captaincy. Since then, they featured in 15 away Ashes Tests and lost 13 of those. The two draws came in Melbourne and Sydney during the 2017/18 and 2021/22 trips, respectively.
One of the biggest reasons to struggle for England in Australia is the batting contribution. In their last two away red-ball series against Cummins’ team, England smashed 4596 runs at an average of under 25. In comparison, the 2023 WTC champions nailed 5536 runs at an average of 42.25.
Individually, there is an issue. Joe Root is the leading run-getter with 700 runs in 19 innings at an average of 38.88. He celebrated eight half-centuries for the best score of 89. The former England captain will again have a huge responsibility in what could be his last potential away Ashes trip.
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Most runs for England against Australia in the last two away Ashes series
| Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | 50s | 100s | HS |
| J Root | 19 | 700 | 38.88 | 08 | 00 | 89 |
| D Malan | 19 | 627 | 33.00 | 05 | 01 | 140 |
| J Bairstow | 13 | 500 | 38.46 | 00 | 02 | 119 |
| A Cook | 09 | 376 | 47.00 | 00 | 01 | 244* |
| C Woakes | 13 | 260 | 20.00 | 00 | 00 | 44 |
In the case of Australia’s bowling, they have been consistently successful. Cummins is the leading wicket-taker in the last two home Ashes Test series. To collect 44 wickets, the right-arm pacer also has an incredible average of 21.50.
Most wickets for Australia against England in last two home Ashes series
| Player | Inns | Wkts | Avg | SR | 5W | BBI |
| Cummins | 17 | 44 | 21.50 | 44.10 | 01 | 5/38 |
| M Starc | 18 | 41 | 24.39 | 46.00 | 01 | 5/88 |
| N Lyon | 16 | 37 | 26.78 | 68.60 | 00 | 4/60 |
| Hazlewood | 11 | 24 | 25.75 | 54.40 | 01 | 5/48 |
| S Boland | 06 | 18 | 09.55 | 27.00 | 01 | 6/7 |
In the previous WTC 2023-25, all of Australia’s bowlers were similar in terms of numbers. Pat Cummins was at the peak of the table with 80 wickets at an average of 23.48. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc pocketed 77 wickets and Nathan Lyon contributed with 66 scalps in Tests. Josh Hazlewood, despite being injured on most occasions, got 59 wickets at an average of 20.45.
In the WTC 2021-23, Cummins picked up 57 wickets at 22.15. Lyon was the highest wicket-taker with 88 scalps, while Starc ended up with 55 wickets. Even Scott Boland grabbed 33 wickets at an average of under 15.
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Litmus test for Australia’s bowlers and England’s batters
During the 2023 Ashes, when Australia met England, Bazball for the very first time, they had their individual plans. In five games, they picked up 85 wickets at an average of 36.22. The economy of 4.74 could sound harsh, but there were occasions when the current WTC runners-up let the opposition go for some aggressive shots. It was their unique way of testing England’s patience.
One of the challenges for the home side will be to arrange the field placement. In the last series, Cummins started with four fielders around the boundary line. The commentators were not happy with Cummins’s leadership. But he later revealed that the plan was to put pressure on the England side.
Many former players reckoned that England’s Bazball approach won’t work in Australia. The former captain, Ricky Ponting, claimed that the surfaces won’t help in scoring fast runs. However, the former coach, Justin Langer, has backed the Ben Stokes-led side to continue the same touch.
“The only players who had success against Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were those who attacked them. They got back in their face, and they hated it because no one did it. It’s going to take courage because you have got Mitchell Starc bowling like he does.” Langer told BBC Sounds’ For The Love Of Cricket podcast.
There were several occasions this summer when India caged the Bazball. England couldn’t soak up the pressure of dot balls and felt short in caging the big moments of the game. That’s exactly what Australia will have to remember.
The opening Test will begin on November 21 at the Optus Stadium in Perth before the action shifts to the Gabba for the second encounter from December 04. The third Test will take place on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval, as the fourth game will be played at the MCG. The fifth and final New Year’s Test will happen on January 04 at the SCG.
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