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The Ashes series is getting ever so close and as always with big series, winning and losing will come down to who can conquer their individual battles.
England head to Australia hoping for a first away series win since 2011 while the home side are aiming to retain the Urn they have held since 2018.
Here’s where this year’s Ashes series could be won or lost.
Ben Duckett v Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc
If a cricket ball is within the same postcode as Ben Duckett, you can be sure he will have a swing at it.
England travel to Australia in a far different fashion than the last time with two genuine openers and in Duckett they have one full of confidence.
In the previous Ashes, Duckett averaged 35.66 with a high score of 98 but sticking to the ‘take no prisoners’ attitude is a different task Down Under.
You get the sense the first Test, which will see Pat Cummins sit out, will be key to setting the tone for the series ahead. If Duckett comes in and knocks up his first Ashes ton, more may well follow but if Hazlewood and Starc keep him quiet, Cummins will be confident of doing the same.
Joe Root v Steve Smith
It sounds obvious but the runs scored by Joe Root and Steve Smith will likely define the whole of the series.
If last time they faced off in Australia, Smith was thought of as the better batsman, Root has elevated his game since and is an away Ashes century away from cementing his place as an all-time great.
But ruling out Steve Smith is a fool’s gambit. The Aussie great averages 56 against England and 59.7 in Australian conditions.
The IPL has meant both squads are more friendly with each other than previous years but both players will want to get one over their longer-term rival.
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Australia vs their own top order
Rarely has an England team touched down in Australia with a more assured batting lineup than the hosts.
If Ollie Pope or Jacob Bethell is a question for No.3, Australia have similar decisions to make throughout the order.
The once undroppable Marnus Labuschagne has only recently come in from the cold and is hoping to make his recall to the Test team permanent.
But it is the openers that arguably pose the most questions. While Usman Khawaja has had his critics over the years, he is now seen as the safest bet Australia have got and Jack Weatherald is a 31-year-old uncapped experiment.
Jofra Archer and Mark Wood vs their own bodies
On paper, you would not be entirely laughed out of town if you suggested England had the better pace attack than Australia.
While the likes of Cummins and Hazlewood are masters with the ball, the pace of both Wood and Archer is enough to unsettle a shaky Australian batting lineup.
But the game is not played on paper and for as much as Archer and Wood have the talent, they are also both at high risk of injuries.
Wood is not only England’s best quicker bowler but also their most experienced, but his body has failed him on more than one occasion. His last Test was in August 2024 and his 2025 season was disrupted by a knee injury.
For Archer, he too has spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines and must be carefully managed throughout the series.
Keeping both of them fit remains half the challenge for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Will Jacks v Shoaib Bashir
Bashir has been backed as England’s primary spinner but he must have been fearing the worst when Will Jacks was selected despite having last played in 2022.
The off-spinner is very much England’s wildcard and his spin bowling has not been tested quite as severely as an away Ashes series.
Spin is far less important Down Under than elsewhere but England could be made to look silly if neither of their spinners get it moving and the extremely talented Nathan Lyon does.
Read next: The 7 best openers ever to play for England in The Ashes – who’s No.1?
The post The 5 key battles that will define the Ashes: Root v Smith and more appeared first on Cricket365.
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