Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has said that it is unlikely that any of the five Tests of the upcoming Ashes will end in a draw, given the way England’s ‘Bazball’ unfolds, adding that the series
will finish 3-2 in Australia’s favour.
England’s lone win Down Under over the past four decades came in the 2010–11 Ashes, a series that now serves as the blueprint for skipper Ben Stokes and his team. Winless on their last three tours and suffering 13 losses in that span, the
Bazball era arrives with plenty to prove.Speaking on the ICC Review, Ponting said that he expects England to challenge this Australian team, but tipped the hosts to edge the series with narrow wins.
“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,” Ponting said.
“The fact that there are 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 Tests in Australia this century and I’m predicting that they’re going to win two in this series,” Ponting added.
On individual performances, the former cricketer backed two Aussies to extend their dominance over England. With skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood sidelined, he tipped Mitchell Starc to finish as the leading wicket-taker.
But Ponting believes the most influential cricketer of the series will be stand-in skipper Steve Smith, once again steering Australia from the front.
“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,” Ponting said.
“And I just think everything is aligned perfectly for Steve Smith to be the leading run scorer,” Ponting added.
