Steve Smith is Australia’s stand-in captain (Photo by Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via Getty Images)
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It was left to Steve Smith, Australia’s relatively staid stand-in skipper and one of the greatest ever batters, to cause a furore on the eve of the Ashes – cricket’s most hyped series in two decades.
Smith made a bizarre rebuttal of inflammatory comments made by former England spinner Monty Panesar, who urged England fans to remind Smith about his role in the infamous Sandpaper scandal in 2018.
His seemingly scripted verbal attacks on Panesar have not gone down well in the U.K, sparking the usual nonsense long seen in an Ashes contest that grips England and Australia – countries where cricket holds special tradition but is increasingly becoming niche.
Smith’s comments has put the spotlight back on Australia, who had entered the first Test in Perth relatively under the radar given most of the focus has been over ‘Bazball’ -England’s ultra-attacking style of play that is widely derided Down Under.
Australia also enter the series without inspirational captain Pat Cummins and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood, testing their depth. Australia enter match with two debutants for the first time this decade and there is an unknown over this side that usually enters home Ashes series as red-hot favorites.
Pat Cummins has been training but will miss the first Test (Photo by Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via Getty Images)
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It has meant that Australia have been in the unusual position of going under the radar, with England perhaps even assuming favoritism given the absences of Hazlewood and Cummins.
But the pressure is firmly on England, who are widely deemed to need a victory on the fast and bouncy Perth Stadium surface. The second Test will be played at the Gabba, a torturous site for them over the years, and Cummins, perhaps even Hazlewood, might even be back for Australia.
You could easily envision England spiralling after a defeat in Perth, as their media starts to turn against them and the local tabloids go in for the kill. It’s a well-worn tale for England in their graveyard tour of Australia, where so many disasters have occurred including over the last 12 years.
But what makes this five-match series so fascinating is that there is the prospect of England tearing through an aging Australia, a bit like what happened during their famous triumph in 2010-11 albeit this Australian team looks far stronger on paper that that brittle side.
It does feel like Australia could muster a backs-to-the-wall effort, their veteran stars mustering one last rousing effort in Ashes cricket while a bit of new blood might just rejuvenate them.
Ben Stokes is leading England (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
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The build-up has been interminable, starting effectively right after the last Ashes in the U.K. in 2023 where much controversy ensued. The first Ashes press conference in Perth was held in October of last year even though there was a blockbuster Test series against India starting in the city just weeks away.
The insults and slanging, all relatively harmless and nonsensical stuff compared to the genuine bitter feud between India and Pakistan, will all amount to naught when the action finally starts on Friday in front of 50,000 at the magnificent Perth Stadium.
It’s going to be a wild seven weeks.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tristanlavalette/2025/11/20/under-the-radar-australia-enter-home-ashes-overshadowed-by-bazball/
