{"id":24895,"date":"2025-11-20T13:33:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/it-kills-me-to-say-it-ex-eng-pacer-backs-australia-to-win-ashes-pins-englands-hope-on-cricket-news\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:33:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:33:15","slug":"it-kills-me-to-say-it-ex-eng-pacer-backs-australia-to-win-ashes-pins-englands-hope-on-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/it-kills-me-to-say-it-ex-eng-pacer-backs-australia-to-win-ashes-pins-englands-hope-on-cricket-news\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It Kills Me To Say It’: Ex-ENG Pacer Backs Australia To Win Ashes, Pins England’s Hope On… | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Brook, who has been an impactful player for England since the beginning of his successful Test career, will be key to Ben Stokes’ team again on the trip Down Under.<\/h2>\n
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The 2025-26 edition of Ashes series will be played from November 21, 2025 to January 8, 2026 in Australia. (Picture Credit: AFP)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Former England fast bowler Darren Gough has made a bold prediction ahead of the marquee Ashes series beginning Friday, November 21, at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Gough, a veteran of several Ashes battles, believes Australia remain favourites to retain the urn \u2014 unless Harry Brook produces a blockbuster series for England.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kills me to say I think Australia will win the series. The one person who could change that scoreline for me is Harry Brook,” Gough told The Yorkshire Post.<\/p>\n

Brook, one of the standout performers of England\u2019s Bazball era under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, enters his first Ashes tour with exceptional numbers. The 26-year-old averages 57.55 with 10 centuries in 30 Tests and was outstanding during the recent home series against India, scoring 481 runs in five matches with two hundreds.<\/p>\n

Gough said England\u2019s chances hinge heavily on Brook\u2019s form, adding, \u201cI think if Harry Brook has a good Ashes, we win it 3-2, but I\u2019m going to go for a 3-2 Australia win.” He expects a tightly contested series across venues in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.<\/p>\n

Emphasising the early momentum, Gough noted the significance of the opening clash, saying, \u201cI think that\u2019s (the first Test is) such an important game \u2013 not just because it\u2019s the first one, but because the second one is a day-night Test.”<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cThat second Test in Brisbane, for me, is a toss of a coin; luck will play a huge part in it, in terms of when you\u2019re going to be bowling, what the conditions are going to be like.”<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if you don\u2019t get off to a good start in that first Test, and you\u2019re on the wrong end of it in the second, which could easily happen, all of a sudden you could be 2-0 down and it\u2019s as good as over.”<\/p>\n

Gough also tipped Joe Root to end his long wait for a Test century in Australia. \u201cFirst, people are going to question that greatest of all-time claim, and also it means we\u2019re going to have to see Matthew Hayden running around the SCG naked (as Hayden claimed he would do if Root does reach the three-figure mark), which I\u2019m not too keen on seeing, I must admit. He looks like Buzz Lightyear as it is,” he joked.<\/p>\n

Root has played 14 Tests across three Ashes tours in Australia, scoring 892 runs at an average of 35.69, including nine fifty-plus scores.<\/p>\n

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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that\u2019s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n
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November 20, 2025, 18:58 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

News<\/a> cricket<\/a> ‘It Kills Me To Say It’: Ex-ENG Pacer Backs Australia To Win Ashes, Pins England’s Hope On…<\/span><\/div>\n
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