London: The Ashes is still over three months away, but pace legend Glenn McGrath is out with his much-awaited prediction for the upcoming edition — a 5-0 sweep for Australia.
The feisty showdown is slated to begin in Perth on November 21, and McGrath believes England will find it “pretty tough” to battle past the likes of Pat Cummins and a rather poor record.
McGrath said his prediction this time is based on how England were held to a 2-2 series draw by India in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Fast bowling legend Glenn McGrath does not doubt who will be the winners of next winter’s Ashes Down Under, as the build-up to cricket’s most exciting Test series heats up. McGrath, an Ashes hero himself, has forecast a thumping 5-0 victory for the hosts, Australia.
If that happens, it would be the first occasion since 2013-14 that Australia have won all five Tests in an Ashes series. England have been winless in Australia since 2011, and McGrath is confident there will be no change in that equation for the series, which will be played over three months – November, December, and January.
McGrath, who holds the record for the most wickets taken by a pacer in Ashes history with 157 scalps, said he is very confident about the outcome of the series. “It’s very rare for me to make a prediction, isn’t it?” McGrath quipped, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live. “And I can’t make a different one: five-nil.”
McGrath said the bowling attack Australia possesses puts them in an advantageous position. “I’m very confident with our team. When you’ve got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon firing in their home conditions, it’s going to be pretty tough. Plus, that track record England have had, it’d be interesting to see if they can win a Test.”
While Australia has a strong bowling attack, England is buoyed by a solid batting line-up led by Joe Root, who is now the second-highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket, trailing only legendary Sachin Tendulkar with 13,543 runs.
“This series will be a big one for Root,” said McGrath. “He’s never really done that well in Australia, he’s not even got a 100 over there, so he’ll be keen to get out there. He’s in fine form.”
Talking about Harry Brook and Ben Duckett – two reliable batters for England – McGrath said, “Brook’s the one that I’ve enjoyed watching. He just goes out there, plays his game, and takes it on. The Australians will need to get on him pretty early. Ben Duckett is such an aggressive opener. Zak Crawley would be keen to score a few more runs than he has previously.
“It’s the top order or top and middle order of England against the Australian fast bowlers and Lyon. That’s going to be a big match-up,” he added. The first Test of the Ashes series will begin on November 21 in Perth, while the fifth and final Test will be played in Sydney, starting January 4.
