The 2025/26 Ashes series is now done and dusted and nothing has really changed.
Australia still hold the treasured urn, England cling tightly to the moral high ground, and Test cricket proves to be a far better version of hit and run cricket than T20 could ever be.
Crowds were up, days were down, and thousands of English fans who not so long ago would have been deported here for free, paid tens of thousands of dollars to their travel agents in order to support their spluttering team while still searching for another word to rhyme with “barmy” for their theme song.
There were some great performances across the series, including some from those on the losing team, together with many efforts best described as mediocre.
The star of Bethell was born, Archer and Wood made it home for Christmas, Uzzy finally retired, and some players proved that they’re just not up to games scheduled for more than 40 overs and probably won’t be seen wearing white for their country ever again.
So sifting through the ashes of the 2025/26 series, can we find just 12 good men deserving of a place in the Team of the Series?
Let’s see, and note that the minimum requirement for inclusion is that the player must have played in at least three of the five Tests so that rules out Beau Webster after “Slug” starred in Sydney while Marnus Labuschagne, aka the Gimp, according to Ben Stokes, also did not get a start.
1. Travis Head (5 Tests, 629 runs @ 62.90) – The best batter by far, Head scored three centuries and went big in two of them with scores of 170 in Adelaide and 163 in Sydney. Usman Khawaja’s back spasms threw Head into the opening role in the second innings of the first match and he hasn’t looked back, cementing his place at the top of the Australian batting order until the next brain fade by the selectors.
2. Zak Crawley (5 Tests, 273 runs @ 27.3) – Crawley was less hot than cold across the series but really only had to be better than both Ben Duckett and Jake Weatherald to make this side.
Kicking the series off with a “pair” in Perth, Crawley showed some form in Brisbane and Adelaide before disappointing everyone except the Australian bowlers once again in Melbourne and Sydney.
3. Steve Smith (c) (4 Tests, 286 runs @ 57.20) – Smith’s average for the series was inflated with a couple of not outs and the 138 scored in the first innings of the Sydney dead rubber, but he did manage to twitch and scratch his way to the fifth highest aggregate and second best average of the series.
His catching was also a highlight, taking some very sharp chances to finish with 14 catches for the series, almost as many as the opposition put down.
4. Joe Root (5 Tests, 400 runs at 44.4) – Root finally won a Test in Australia and also notched his first Ashes century Down Under, enjoying the experience so much that he scored a second.
His stats are deceptive though, as he scored 75% of his total runs in just two innings and didn’t pass 40 in his other eight visits to the crease. Like Smith, he looks to be a fading star who may have played his last Ashes Test.
England’s Joe Root bats as Australia’s Alex Carey reacts on day one of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
5. Harry Brook (5 Tests, 358 runs @ 39.77) – Brook was certainly entertaining, striking at 81.73 across the series, but was guilty of throwing his wicket away more often than not after making a good start. With over 30 outings now under his belt and at nearly 27 years of age, Brook will have to curb his enthusiasm if England are going to see the best of him.
Brook also caught well in a team that didn’t exactly excel in the field, finishing with 11 catches.
6. Ben Stokes (T tests, 184 runs @ 18.4 and 15 wickets at 25.13) – Down on batting form Stokes made up for it with a courageous effort with the ball, literally bowling himself into the ground on occasions.
Still a polarising figure, Stokes remains a great competitor who never knows when to quit but often found himself without a lot of support. His five-wicket haul in the first innings of the Boxing Day test was instrumental in England winning their only game in the series.
7. Alex Carey W/K (5 Tests, 323 runs @ 46.14) – Carey would make this side even if he didn’t own a pair of wicketkeeping gloves, as his batting was often the glue that held the Australian innings together, particularly in the pivotal second and third Tests that saw Australia jump to an unassailable 3-0 lead.
His keeping was also better than ever, exerting pressure on the English batters by keeping up to the stumps for Scott Boland and Michael Neser, and he finished the series with 27 dismissals, from 26 catches and a stumping.
8. Michael Neser (3 Tests, 15 wickets at 19.93) – The 35-year-old has been around for a long time and with just two games to his name prior to this series he grabbed his opportunity when it came along. His economical swing bowling made things difficult for most of the English, particularly in Brisbane when he took 5-42 to shut their challenge down.
9. Mitchell Starc (5 Tests, 31 wickets @ 19.93, 156 runs @ 26) – No Cummins and no Hazlewood – no worries for Starc. He produced a Player of the Series performance to flick Bazball into the bin, totally destroying the English batting in the first two games with match figures of 10/113 and 8/139 respectively, and also helped Australia when they needed it most with crucial half centuries in the second and third Tests.
Scott Boland. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images for Cricket Australia)
10. Josh Tongue (3 Tests, 18 wickets @ 20.11) – The more Tongue played the better he got and it’s hard to fathom why he wasn’t in the 11 for the first two Tests. He’s a far better bowler than England’s leading wicket taker for the series in Brydon Carse and less obnoxious to go with it.
11. Scott Boland (5 Tests, 20 wickets @ 24.95) – Boland stepped up to fill the gap left by Hazlewood’s so well it will be hard to imagine the attack without Bolo. A great team man who just gets on with it, Boland was relentless in keeping the pressure on England throughout the series.
12th. Ben Duckett – After his memorable effort at Noosa in December, there’s no better man to carry the drinks for the side than the little English battler. Excessive drinking on an Ashes tour is a time honoured part of the game that should never be lost, and Ducky has gone above and beyond to keep the tradition alive.
Does anyone else deserve a mention in this side?
