Ian Botham admits he is ‘worried’ for England ahead of the Ashes and claims their warm-up schedule ‘borders on arrogance’.
England will attempt to reclaim the Ashes for the first time since 2018 when they head Down Under to Australia at the end of the year.
Ben Stokes’ side drew the last series at home 2-2 but England have not won a single Test in Australia since the 2010-11 series, losing 13-0 across 15 demoralising matches.
It was once common for touring teams to play several warm-up games against state sides but that is no longer the case, partly due to the packed schedule.
Indeed, England will play just one three-day warm-up game against their own development side, England Lions, prior to the first Ashes Test on November 21.
England drew 2-2 in a thrilling Test series against India in their home summer but the fifth match at The Oval will be their last competitive red-ball before the start of the Ashes.
The white-ball squad, which includes a number of Test players, are currently in New Zealand to play three T20s and three ODIs before flying to Australia at the start of November.
‘I’m worried,’ England legend Lord Botham, who was part of two Ashes-winning tours, said on the Old Boys, New Balls podcast. ‘We’re going to wander in and have a little game with the ‘A’ team.
‘[It will be] “Alright mate, how are you? Good on ya” and we’re going to go and perform? Not one [state match] which borders on arrogance.
‘You’ve got to give yourself the chance. They are saying we play too much cricket… I don’t think you play enough.
‘The conditions are different when you play cricket in Australia: the sun, the heat, the bounce, the crowd, the Aussie players, you’ve got to get used to all that.
‘You’re not playing against the Australian cricket team, you’re playing against Australia — 24.5 million people.’
Botham is particularly concerned about the condition of England’s bowling attack, with Stokes, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood all struggling with injuries.
‘Bowlers don’t get fit in gyms, that’s been proven,’ legendary all-rounder Botham added. ‘Look at the record with injuries – Wood, [Jofra] Archer, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse… they don’t play enough.
‘You get fit by playing. If it goes horribly wrong, Mark Wood breaks down in the first game, or Jofra Archer does, or Ben can’t bowl, we are suddenly chasing the eight-ball before we’ve started. It’s a worry.’
While recent history is not on England’s side, Stuart Broad believes his former teammates will be taking on the ‘worst’ Australian team in over a decade this winter.
‘It’s very, very difficult to win in Australia as an England side, or any side – it just is,’ Broad told the For the Love of Cricket podcast on BBC Sounds.
‘Australia have to be massive favourites. The question really was “Which team’s under the most pressure?” Well, Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win. They’re brilliant at home.
‘But they’ve got question marks over their team and question marks over [the fitness of] captain [Pat Cummins].
‘You wouldn’t be outlandish in thinking – it’s actually not an opinion, it’s a fact – it’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it’s the best English team since 2010.
‘So those things match up to the fact it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series.’
Broad retired at the end of the last Ashes series in 2023, finishing his extraordinary career with 604 Test wickets, the second-most by an Englishman behind James Anderson.
‘Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the batting, who was going to bat where, what bowlers there were – and they don’t have that,’ the 39-year-old added.
‘It’s very much a similar situation to 2010-2011 when England went and won there.
‘The fact of the matter is Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of being bad.
‘I don’t think anyone could argue that it’s their weakest team since 2010… it’s just a fact.’
Perth’s Optus Stadium hosts the Ashes opener on November 21 before the teams head to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney for an intriguing series.
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