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

“This is potentially optimistic from both an English point of view and a fan-of-close-fought-Test-series standpoint, but I think the way England successfully attacked Australia’s elite bowling attack at home in 2023 offers a hopeful blueprint.

“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. And I may reassess after 0.5 seconds of the series. Again.”

Prediction: Australia 2-3 England