‘Ex-players will start going at them’: Ex-England cricketer warns Australia ahead of 2027 Ashes

NEW DELHI: Former England cricketer Michael Atherton believes England have a good opportunity to put Australia under pressure during their upcoming white-ball tour Down Under.He feels Australia’s recent problems, selection concerns and a tough international schedule could cause the team more problems ahead of the 2027 Ashes, potentially causing them to “implode”.Australia recently suffered a 2-1 Test series defeat against South Africa, losing their position as the highest-ranked Test team in the world as well as their place at the top of the World Test Championship rankings. Marnus Labuschagne’s poor form has also raised questions about his place in the team.England will play three ODIs and five T20Is against Australia, with the ODI series starting on November 13. The hosts will be without the experienced fast-bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who are in charge ahead of a busy Test schedule. Australia are set to face New Zealand in a four-match Test series before traveling to India for five Tests in early 2027.

Atherton wants England to keep Australia under pressure

Atherton believes England should take advantage of Australia’s current difficulties and ensure they don’t get an easy run during the white-ball series.“Even though some of the big guns aren’t playing, it’s a chance to keep some pressure on Australia now – pressure on their selectors after the decisions around Labuschagne and what have you, pressure on some of their big name players and pressure on them to keep their results modest,” Atherton said, as quoted by Sky Sports.He also feels that former Australia players could become increasingly critical if the team continues to struggle.“The past players will start going at them as they started, actually after the first day of the Ashes in Perth last year before England let them off the hook,” he added.

David Warner criticizes Australia’s batting performance

Australia’s struggles with the bat also attracted criticism from former opener David Warner. The hosts were bowled out for just 111 in their second innings of the third Test against South Africa as they lost the match by 176 runs and the series 2-1.Warner was particularly disappointed with the lack of fight shown by the batsmen.“I’m just angry. It’s terrible. It’s un-Australian. There’s no fight. It’s disgraceful,” Warner said on Fox Sports. “288, you win a Test match; you can win a series. It’s on the line. And that’s how they play?”He further criticized the batting unit for repeatedly failing to support the bowlers throughout the series.“I think it’s unfortunate. The batsmen have let the bowlers down the whole series. Yes, Matt Renshaw put up a fight in that first Test, but I think the batsmen were disgraceful. What the batsmen should know is that this guy (Rabada) is going to fire. And he did. If you get past 10-15 Warner, they added…”With the 2027 Ashes set to begin in June, Australia will need to address these concerns before heading to England.