The Ashes 2025: Predictions for Series from Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell & Jonathan Agnew

The Build-Up: Ashes 2025-26

As the cricket world eagerly awaits the return of the Ashes series for the 2025-26 season, Australia and England are preparing for a highly anticipated battle. With the first ball set to be bowled in just days, pundits from Test Match Special (TMS) are sharing their insights on what fans can expect.

Michael Vaughan: Fit Players Key to Series Success

England’s Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan sees the series hinging heavily on Ben Stokes’ fitness. If Stokes, who has been a cornerstone of England’s side in recent years, remains fit for all five games, it could significantly alter the dynamics of the series. Vaughan believes that if England perform well in the first Test, they might put Australia under immense pressure to return injured fast bowlers sooner than expected.

“My prediction is based on Ben Stokes staying fit for five games – that means he has to bowl, bat, field and captain the way he can,” said Vaughan. “If England come out and win well in the first Test, the Australians will be under a huge amount of pressure.”

Vaughan also predicts a series ending level, much like it did two years ago.

Phil Tufnell: Every Test to Go Down to the Wire

Phil Tufnell, who played 12 Ashes Tests for England, has a different take. He suggests that there won’t be any draws and every match will go down to the wire. “It could be anything, couldn’t it? I’ve been thinking it would be drawn 2-2, but now I think England can win,” Tufnell said.

“There won’t be any draws. I can see every Test match going down to the wire, with England just sneaking it.”

Alex Hartley: Australia’s Likely Winners

Alex Hartley, who won the Women’s World Cup in 2017, is not optimistic about England. Despite acknowledging the potential excitement of seeing Australia’s experienced players perform, he believes that “the Australians are going to win.”

Hartley speculates that England might win in Perth and possibly lose in Brisbane or Sydney due to weather conditions resembling those in Manchester.

“I want England to win, but have we got a little bit too excited over Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing the first Test?” Hartley added, showing an air of caution about recent performances by key Australian bowlers.

Jonathan Agnew: Perth Will Be Decisive

Test Match Special’s Jonathan Agnew, who won the Ashes in 1985, places significant importance on the first Test. “A lot of it depends on what happens in Perth. If England win, they have got a great chance of winning the series.”

Agnew acknowledges that England haven’t won a Test in Australia for 14 years but remains hopeful about their prospects. He believes if England secure victory in Perth, they will go on to win the series.

Andy Zaltzman: Optimism for England?

Test Match Special’s statistician Andy Zaltzman offers a cautiously optimistic prediction from an English point of view. He suggests that the way England successfully attacked Australia’s elite bowling attack at home in 2023 could provide a blueprint for their success away. Zaltzman notes, “They discomforted the habitually parsimonious Cummins, Hazlewood and Boland, who all suffered their most expensive series.”

“If they can achieve something similar away from home – a tough challenge, especially if the pitches follow recent Australian trends – they have enough potency in their bowling to be competitive throughout. ‘At the very least, I expect England to have their second-best Ashes since 1990, which is, admittedly, an almost subterraneanly low bar.’”

With these diverse predictions from TMS pundits, cricket fans are left eagerly awaiting the first ball of the Ashes 2025-26 series. As the series unfolds, we will see if these forecasts hold true or if they face significant challenges in the field.