When looking ahead to this winter’s Ashes series it might be instructive to ask yourself this question – would Jacob Bethell get into the Australian team that lost last week’s World Test Championship final to South Africa at Lord’s?
Bethell is unlikely to be in England’s XI for the first Test against India that starts at Headingley on Friday, with Ollie Pope favourite to retain the No 3 position.
Yet the 21-year-old would undoubtedly be an upgrade on any of Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green, Australia’s top three who managed a grand total of 49 runs between them at Lord’s last week.
From bad to worse for Steve Smith!
He is forced off with a dislocated finger after dropping a catch pic.twitter.com/TbA9YysLCJ
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 13, 2025
Now, there is a hefty dollop of whataboutery at play here. Australians would be entitled to argue that their bowling attack of captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon gives them the clear edge in a home Ashes series.
This is true. But it is equally true that those four bowlers are all the wrong side of 30 and entering the twilight of their careers.
Indeed, it is highly unlikely that champion quartet will be able to play all five Ashes Tests.
That their first reserve in terms of seam bowlers is the 36-year-old Scott Boland also says a lot.
Added to Australia’s myriad of batting issues, it means Ben Stokes’s team will have a good chance of taking down a brilliant but creaking Aussie side this winter.
Nathan Lyon will be 38 by the time the Ashes start (Photo: Getty)Put simply, Australia have far more questions to answer ahead of the Ashes than England.
It is why Cummins spoke about a “fresh start” and a “reset” following Lord’s – not ideal five months out from the start of an Ashes series.
We will see how fast that pace of change will be when Australia begin a three-Test series in the West Indies later this month.
But it seems likely there will be changes to the XI that lost to South Africa at Lord’s by the time the Ashes start at Perth on 21 November.
There are valid question marks over at least four of the top six, with perhaps only Travis Head and Steve Smith guaranteed their places.
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Even then, there have been whispers about Smith retiring and Head is averaging 19.62 since Boxing Day.
It seems likely that Sam Konstas – an opener who has one score above 23 in two Tests so far – will come into the team for the series in the Caribbean.
Labuschagne, who opened for the first time in the World Test Championship final, appears most vulnerable to be dropped given he averages 25.84 since the end of the 2023 Ashes in England.
He could, though, have a stay of execution in the West Indies, albeit down the order, given the finger injury sustained at Lord’s by Smith looks likely to rule him out of at least the first Test. That said, wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is another option.
Khawaja, who will turn 39 during the Ashes, is also on a horrible run of form.
He has one century in his past 38 innings – a career-best 232 in Sri Lanka earlier this year – but was backed by both Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald after Lord’s.
England will be happy to face Khawaja this winter given his recent struggles against fast bowling.
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As for Green, Australia’s only player under 30 at Lord’s and who lasted just five balls in total in that match, it is unlikely he will be tried at No 3 again, especially as the all-rounder will return to bowling later this year following injury.
He may remain in the XI for the Ashes but it is likely to be at No 6 in place of Beau Webster.
The average age of Australia’s XI at Lord’s was 33 – compared to England’s 27.6 for their last Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month.
Whether that disparity will be an issue this winter over a five-Test series remains to be seen, but the age profile of Australia’s bowling attack will surely be one.
At 32, Cummins is the youngest, with Hazlewood 34, Starc 35 and Lyon 37, who will turn 38 the day before the Ashes start.
Other than Boland, whose danger in home conditions cannot be underestimated, there are few quality back-up options.
As much as England will fret over the fitness of their quicks ahead of the winter, they at least have significant depth.
The same cannot be said of Australia in any department.
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