James Anderson, the legendary bowler for England, has recently come under fire for announcing his all-time Ashes XI on TNT Sports. Although there were a number of unexpected choices on the list, James choice to give former Australian captain Ricky Ponting the wicketkeeping gloves attracted a lot of attention.
James, the fast bowler with the most wickets in Test history, was asked to select his ideal Ashes lineup. But in spite of the abundance of choices, James ultimately failed to designate a specialised keeper at all. Upon realising the gap, he nonchalantly declared that he would “give the gloves to Ricky Ponting,” a role that the legendary Australian player had never played professionally. TNT Sports quickly removed the footage, but not before viewers lambasted the English veteran’s decisions.
In case you missed it, here is @Jimmy9 explaining his selections in his All Time Ashes X1.
Make sure you’re sitting down.
This is hysterical. pic.twitter.com/zZLA7FSIza— The Oracle (@BigOtrivia) December 3, 2025
Ben Stokes is named captain of Anderson’s all-time Ashes XI.
Anderson’s contentious choice of Don Bradman as his opener kicked off the discussion. Despite having a Test average of 99.94 and being considered the greatest batsman of all time, Bradman never opened during his 52-match Test career. Alastair Cook of England, a born opener who was instrumental in several Ashes triumphs, was teamed with him by Anderson.
Ponting, the legendary Australian batsman but not a wicketkeeper, came in at number three. Ponting never wore the gloves in international cricket and only made four appearances as a keeper, all at club level in the mid-1990s. Steve Smith, the third-highest run scorer in Ashes history, was replaced by Joe Root at No. 4 in Anderson’s middle order.
The all-around combination of Ian Botham and Ben Stokes, who were both named captain, followed Kevin Pietersen in the No. 5 spot. This choice was also questioned by many, given that Ponting is still the most successful Ashes captain with a 62.33% victory record. The bowling attack comprised the pace trio of Stuart Broad, Glenn McGrath, and Bob Willis, with Shane Warne serving as the only spinner. Anderson noticeably excluded himself from the starting lineup.
The all-time Ashes XI of James Anderson:
Ben Stokes (c), Don Bradman, Alastair Cook, and Ricky Ponting (wk), Shane Warne, Bob Willis, Glenn McGrath, Stuart Broad, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Botham.
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