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Former England cricketers Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad have offered their insights on England’s bowling attack for the opening Test of the Ashes 2025-26 series in Australia. During their podcast, “For the Love of Cricket,” the two former teammates discussed the immense challenge facing Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum‘s side as they head down under, where England has struggled to win for well over a decade.
The Ashes 2025-26 challenge against Australia for England
The Ashes series will be a significant test for England, who have a dismal record in Australia since their last triumph. The last time England won the series in Australia was back in 2010-11 under the leadership of Andrew Strauss. by the margin of 3-1. Since then, England has often failed to even win a single Test match in Australia, making the upcoming series a very tough ask for Stokes and McCullum’s team. The first Ashes Test is scheduled to take place at the Perth Optus Stadium, a venue known for its fast and bouncy pitch, which is expected to favor the Australian pacers.
During the podcast, Broad read a fan question that perfectly captured the sentiment of cricket fans in both countries. “Rosemary in Northampton asks, ‘We all know the England top seven and the Aussie attack for the first Ashes test at Perth, but what’s the England attack and the Aussie top seven?'”
Broad then added that this was “the big question on everyone’s lips.” A light-hearted exchange followed, with Buttler suggesting Broad, known for his vocal opinions on the Australian team, should take on the challenge of predicting their top seven. Broad, with a laugh, replied, “Um, and I’ll let you try and guess the Aussie top. Let me get slammed on social media.” Buttler responded, “Exactly. They can’t wait. They can’t wait to get you over there (for commentary).”
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England’s chosen attack for Ashes 2025-26 opener at Perth: Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad’s selections
Taking on the task of picking the England attack, Buttler named his preferred five-man bowling lineup: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashier, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood. He added a crucial caveat for Wood, stating, “If he’s fit, Mark Wood. If not, Josh Tongue,”
Broad agreed with the selections, emphasizing the need to “frontload this series a little bit,” He stressed that England must go all-out to get a result in the first Test at Perth, whether a win or a draw. He argued that there is “no point going there with a mindset of oh, you know, keep someone fit for Melbourne,” He predicted that Australia would likely win the second Test, a pink-ball game, at the Gabba, making the first Test even more critical.
“You have to go and get a result at Perth first test match,” Broad said. “Have to either a draw or a win, preferably a win. So, you go all out with your best attack, which is Wood, Archer, Atkinson, Bashier, Stokes,” Broad also highlighted the importance of having a fit Wood, stating, “there’s a little bit of doubt how the Aussies cope with the extreme pace,”. Broad concluded by suggesting that Tongue would be a good option for the second Test, as he “bowls that fuller length that you can’t necessarily see that well with the ball under lights,”
Also READ: Ricky Ponting names 2 players who hold the key for England in Ashes 2025-26
