2025-26 Ashes

He's 36 and achieved nearly everything possible in the game.  He's still 3000 runs away from Pontings record test career runs for Australia, so realistically that record may be a bridge too far.

Australia play only one test between the end of the Ashes and the tour of South Africa next spring, the next big tour is India in Feb 2027, when he'll be 37 years, 8 months.

He and his wife live in New York, suspect he's going to reach a point where his lawyer wife says how about you slow down your career and let my build mine.

Carl.

So.. The usual crew, who is the new player and what role..batter, allrounder or bowler ?

Khawaja

Labuschagne

Smith

Head

Green

?

Carey

Starc

Lyon

Boland

Hazelwood

It'll be Khawaja, Labuschagne/Weatherald, Labuschagne/Green, Smith, Head, Webster, Carey, Starc, Boland, Hazlewood, Lyon.

Where Labuschagne bats will be determined by who is in out of Weatherald and Green.

Not sure why you think Konstas should be in the squad, his form has been abysmal, throwing him in against a fit and firing Wood and Archer would do more damage to him than telling him to try get his spot back with Shield runs.

Inglis in as cover for Carey more than anything.

Carl.

No one wants to see a test match played out in 40 degree heat with endless water breaks and checks for players safety re heat stroke. So far this spring/summer the weather seems very dynamic/unpredictable, 15 degrees over the average & hot/sultry one day, then cold n blustery the next, back to hot n windy the next day.

Above all we don't want any games washed out, so far we've had a couple of weather affected white ball games, hopefully that's not an indication of what's to come this summer.

Carl.

Why would you move the best counter-attacking 5 in test cricket to open?

Konstas needs to to back to Shield cricket and score consistent runs before he gets another shot, at this stage he's got that one Shield match that looks increasingly like an outlier when he scored a hundred in each innings, another hundred for Australia A in India and that dear in the headlights 50 on boxing day.  He needs to go back to Shield level and show he can score consistent runs before he deserves another shot, not just get handed it because someone thinks he's talented.

The difference is Hayden and Warner developed their games and came through the ranks as openers, Travis Head has developed his game and came through the ranks as a middle order batsman.  It's not just the difference in what the new ball does early compared to after 30 odd overs or whenever Head comes in normally, its also the mental approach, turning around from fielding to batting in 10 minutes after the opposition close their innings, even the approach when coming to the crease, the openers are there to start the innings, at 5 Head is required to either try swing momentum or continue the momentum when coming in at 5.

Hayden and Warner may have worked at 5 but that doesn't mean Head would work long term as an opener, Smith already tried it and as a superior batsman to Head it didn't work for him.  Anyone who knows cricket will tell you its easier moving down the order than moving up.