There is already a lot of excitement among cricket players and past players who have been there before, as the Ashes 2025–26 is less than a week away. Perhaps the best pacer in the format, James Anderson, is already retired from Test cricket. He has, nevertheless, stepped forward to say how excited he is about the series.
Anderson defied his country by stating that the Australians were the favourites to win the five-match series when asked which of the two teams would go into the Ashes as the favourites to earn the urn. He does, however, think that England is only slightly behind and will be ready to take on the challenge. But according to Anderson, Australia is the favourite to defeat the Three Lions when they play at home.
Australia is still the favourite in Australia, thus I don’t think England is the clear favourite. I don’t think there’s much in it, but they definitely just edge out England as the favourites. Since it’s difficult to predict, I’d simply say Australia,” Anderson told TNT Sports.
The Lancashire player added that it is a major setback that the Australians would not have their skipper, Pat Cummins, for at least the first Test. Josh Hazlewood was recently disqualified from the first match, which will take place in Perth. According to Anderson, England’s best opportunity to take the series early will be against a weaker Australian team.
“There are questions regarding the top three batters. For at least the first Test, Pat Cummins’ absence is significant. Even without Cummins, they still have a very strong batting lineup and bowling lineup. There’s a lot of quality there, including Travis Head, Steven Smith, and (Usman) Khawaja,” Anderson continued.
There are undoubtedly some unanswered questions there, as well as certain weaknesses that England might reveal. England has a fantastic opportunity to win early,” he said.
Anderson has taken an incredible 117 wickets in 39 Test matches in the Ashes, including five five-wicket hauls.
Not to mention that, with 704 wickets in 188 games, Anderson is the pacer with the most wickets in Test cricket. Seeing how Ben Stokes manages his team in his first-ever Ashes series without Stuart Broad or Anderson in the English lineup will be intriguing.
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