Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting does not expect any draws in the upcoming Ashes series between Australia and England in Australia and feels England could win two Tests out of five. England have a dismal record in Australia in the 21st century, winning just four Tests in the country.
Their last win down under came during the 2010-11 Ashes series when England won 3-1 under Andrew Strauss. With the next series set to begin on November 21 in Perth, Ponting feels England’s aggressive style of play under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum the mode ensures that there are no ties in five Tests.
“I don’t think there will be any draws, just the way England are playing. I don’t foresee any draws and I just think it will be really, really tight. So I’m going 3-2 to Australia,” Ponting said on the ICC Review.
Ponting also claimed that the upcoming series will be very close and backed England to win the two matches.
“The fact that there are no draws. I just think it could be that close. And of course I take everything into account there as well. The fact that England have only won four Test matches in Australia this century and I predict they will win two in this series. So I think it could be that much closer,” he explained.
Ponting also identified the two Australians as key figures in the series. He picked Mitchell Starc as a potential wicket-taker, especially in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who will miss the first Test in Perth.
“Steve Smith to finish as leading run scorer”
“I actually had Hazlewood as the leading wicket-taker, so now I’m going to have to remove that and now I’m going to go with Mitchell Starc as the leading wicket-taker in the whole series. And I just think everything is perfectly aligned for Steve Smith to be the top scorer,” he added.
Steven Smith’s Ashes record stands out with 3,417 runs at an average of 56, including 12 centuries. Only Don Bradman and Jack Hobbs have scored more in Ashes history. Ponting mentioned Smith’s exceptional recent form and predicted his continued dominance, referring to Smith’s successful return to domestic cricket after the break.
Smith will also deputize as captain for the opening Test in the absence of Pat Cummins. The star batsman has a phenomenal record as a captain and will be eager to lead from the front in the series opener in Perth.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
November 20, 2025
