Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting is expecting no draws in the upcoming Ashes series between Australia and England in Australia and feels England might win two Tests out of five. England have a dismal record in Australia in the 21st century, having won just four Tests in the country.
Their last victory down under came during the 2010-11 Ashes series when England won by 3-1 under Andrew Strauss’ leadership. With another series set to begin on November 21 in Perth, Ponting feels that England’s aggressive style of play under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum’s regime will ensure there won’t be any draws across five Tests.
“I don’t think there’ll be any draws, just the way that England play. I don’t foresee any drawn games and I just think it’s going to be really, really close. So I’m going 3-2 Australia,” said Ponting on ICC Review.
Ponting also asserted that the upcoming series will be closely contested one, backing England to win two matches.
“The fact that there’s no draws. I just think that’s how potentially close it could be. And obviously I’m taking everything into account there as well. The fact that England have only won four Test matches in Australia this century and I’m predicting that they’re going to win two in this series. So that’s how much closer I think it could be,” he explained.
Ponting also identified two Australians as key figures for the series. He picked Mitchell Starc as the potential leading wicket-taker, especially in the absence injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who will miss the first Test in Perth.
“Steve Smith to finish as highest run scorer”
“I actually had Hazlewood in as the leading wicket taker so I’m going to have to take that out now and I’ll go Mitchell Starc now as the leading wicket taker across the series. And I just think everything is aligned perfectly for Steve Smith to be the leading run 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 anticipated his continued dominance, referencing Smith’s successful return to domestic cricket following a break.
Smith will also be filling as the captain for the opening Test in the absence of Pat Cummins. The star batter has a phenomenal record as captain and will be eager to lead from the front in the series opener in Perth.
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