Geoffrey Boycott believes that the “more talented” England side can beat Australia in the upcoming Ashes Test match at Brisbane.
“They are more talented than the Aussies”
England earned a 40-run lead in the first innings of the 2025/26 Ashes opener, at Perth, and reached 65-1 in the second innings. Then they collapsed to 164 and lost inside two days to go one down in the series.
The series now moves to the pink-ball Test at The Gabba, ahead of which Boycott is optimistic about England’s chances. “England can beat Australia in Brisbane. Man for man, they are more talented than the Aussies,” he wrote in his column in The Telegraph, while adding “but it doesn’t help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button.”
The pundits did criticise the shots of some England batters at Perth. Boycott emphasised on the same: “Nobody is asking the players to stop being positive because they have given us some marvellous, thrilling and entertaining cricket. All we ask is for them to use their brains and realise there are times when they should throttle back and be aware of situations and bat accordingly. These Australians are not unbeatable but our England team keeps giving them ways back into the game.”
“They were left to their own devices”
The England fast bowlers impressed in the first innings at Perth to bowl out Australia for 132, but had little response when Travis Head went berserk during the chase. Boycott wrote about the length they need to bowl: “Learn from Perth and pitch the ball up another two or three feet. If the Brisbane pitch is bouncy don’t get excited and sucked into banging the ball in short with a fair number of bouncers. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland got their wickets pitching the ball up. That does not mean bowling half volleys.”
Boycott also voiced his concern about Jofra Archer’s fitness. “I hope someone has got to the bottom of why Jofra Archer was down on pace on only the second day. He is England’s main weapon when he bowls at full throttle. His pace and bounce can unsettle any batsman but when he drops to fast medium a huge threat to the opposition has disappeared. He has to bowl at express pace in short spells. Is he underprepared for third and fourth spells?”
He also wrote about Ben Stokes’ role as captain: “At times Stokes has set some innovative fields but when Travis Head was tonking our bowlers to all parts at Perth he was nowhere to be seen ... All the England bowlers were getting whacked and that was the time for Ben to take some pressure off and give them clear instructions on what and where to bowl. To me, they were left to their own devices and got a real shellacking. Not good.”
England now face the rare challenge of winning an Ashes despite being one down in the series. Winning at Brisbane is of paramount importance, and Boycott emphasises on the “lottery” element of pink-ball Tests: “Batting in daylight on a good pitch is straightforward but under lights there can be moments when the ball zips around for the seamers and batsmen have to hunt the ball. Occasionally there is dew and the seamers cannot grip the ball properly so you are never sure what is going to happen.”
“Play better and win”
Boycott also spoke about England’s response to the media criticism after the defeat at Perth: “The response from England has been to close ranks with a siege mentality that everyone is against them. That is not true. We don’t enjoy watching you embarrass yourselves and lose. We want England to win. Ex-players, TV, radio and journalists can’t say good things about bad cricket. It is just not possible. Being forthright and honest about what we see is not a choice. That is what is expected of us.
“England were convinced they had the right preparation and could win back the Ashes. So it is simple: Play better and win.”
Legends like Ian Botham and Graham Gooch had criticised England after the Perth defeat. Stokes called them “has-beens” in response, though he later confessed that it had been “a slip of tongue”.
Boycott has a word of advice on the subject: “Ben is right that today’s cricket is different but he forgets that cricket has always evolved. In 30 or 50 years’ time, there will be new innovations which at the moment we cannot envisage. But that doesn’t mean some things in the past are not still relevant today.
“That is why people in Asia respect their elders for the knowledge they have gained and from that knowledge, they can give wise counsel to a discussion. If you are prepared to listen to the ex-players, there may be some things the modern player can use in the modern format ... Being stubborn can be a virtue, but if you are so intractable that you never listen and it is your way or the highway, then there is bound to be a fall.
“To call past players ‘has-beens’ was disrespectful especially as some of those ‘has-beens’ played in teams that won the Ashes in England and Australia ... Get the job done, because then you don’t need to say anything and you can bask in all the glory coming your way.”
