McGrath predicts 5-0 win for Australia in Ashes

With Australia winning the series by 5-0, Glenn McGrath predicts England will be whitewashed in the Ashes in 2025-26.

The former Australia bowler, a six-time Ashes champion, consistently makes this prediction and did so prior to the 2023 series, which ended with a 2-2 draw, with the visitors still holding the urn.

England hasn’t won an Ashes series since 2010-11, drawing two and losing two, and hasn’t won a series there since 2010.

“It’s very uncommon for me to make predictions, isn’t it?” And I’m unable to change it, making it 5-0,” McGrath told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“With our team, I have a lot of confidence. It’s going to be pretty difficult when Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon all start firing in their own homes.

England’s last two Tests on home soil were in 2021-22, when Australia won 4-0, and Cummins’ side have only lost one of their past 15 Tests, winning 11 and drawing one.

McGrath acknowledged that “issues” exist with Australia’s batting, particularly their troubled top three. Sam Konstas has yet to claim his spot as the retired David Warner’s replacement because of Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, and Marnus Labuschagne’s form.

However, McGrath says the key battle will be between the tourists’ top seven and Australian bowlers, with Joe Root and Harry Brook as two players to watch as England’s bowling attack also needs to “stack a little bit” to “strengthen a little.”

This series will be significant to Root, McGrath declared. He’ll be eager to go out there because he’s never really done that well in Australia, scoring only 100 out of 100. He is performing well.

Joe Root has made 892 Test starts in Australia, including nine in the fifties, but he has yet to reach 100.

His career average was 51.29, and he had the lowest score of 89, which is a 35.68 down under.

I’ve enjoyed watching “Brook,” and I added McGrath. He simply goes out and plays his game before going on. He will need to be on his guard pretty soon, according to the Australians.

Ben Duckett is a very aggressive opener. Zak Crawley wants to add a few more runs to his already-high total.

“It’s England’s top order or top and middle order against Australia’s fast bowlers and Lyon.” It will be a significant match-up.

Under head coach Brendon McCullum, England have won 25 of their 41 Test matches, but they have yet to win a five-match series, with India drawing one point at the end of the series.

Under McCullum, McGrath, 55, was enthralled by England’s style, but he vowed to make them more mentally “stuck on.”

He said, “I adore it when sportspeople play there without fear.”

Baz wants to make this England team play without fear because of that.