Early Ashes verbal: Stuart Broad and David Warner deal the opening blows

Jonhenry Wilson 15 Oct 2025

Stuart Broad and David Warner communicate

The Ashes has turned up some theatrical pre-, mid- and post-series moments.

Death, taxes and pre-Ashes barbs from former players vast and varied – the three unavoidable things in life.

Stuart Broad is among the first out the blocks with his rude assessment of the current Australian team.

We’ll be adding more Ashes Test cricket verbal to this page as the series nears, but for now here’s Broad’s bullish banter.

Stuart Broad on Australia’s ‘worst’

“It’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it’s the best English team since 2010,” Broad told The Love of Cricket broadcast.

“It’s actually not an opinion, it’s fact. So those things match up to the fact it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series.

“When we have ever, since 2010, been discussing who is going to bat No.1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and who is going to be the spare bowler for Australia,” Broad said. “You’re always go in there going: ‘well, the Aussies, they’re really strong. They’ve just got the same bowlers, the same team’.

“But in 2010, when they were trying to replace [Glenn] McGrath, [Shane] Warne, [Matthew] Hayden, [Justin] Langer, they didn’t have a spinner. They changed the seamers all the time, and they had a bit of a mixed match of batters.

“So I don’t think anyone could argue that it’s their weakest team since 2010.”

Also read: The 7 best openers ever to play for England in The Ashes – who’s No.1?

David Warner: England playing for moral victory

Former Australian opener David Warner, meanwhile, has rather predictably countered Broad’s stance. Warner – yes, he of Sandpapergate infamy and several other tetchy moments in international cricket – reckons the following:

“It’s the Australia way, because we’re playing for the Ashes and they’re playing for a moral victory,” said Warner.

“I think [Australia will win] 4-0. There’s going to be a washout somewhere, generally Sydney. If the captain doesn’t play they might win one game.”

Glenn McGrath: 5-0 to Australia

And, of course, Ashes legend Glenn McGrath. Pigeon has certainly gone down this road before, but he’s back to regale and rile again.

“It’s very rare for me to make a prediction, isn’t it? And I can’t make a different one – 5-0,” McGrath told the BBC.

“I’m very confident with our team. When you’ve got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon firing in their home conditions, it’s going to be pretty tough.

“Plus, that track record England have had, it’d be interesting to see if they can win a Test.”

You can look forward to more as the series nears.

‘Zak Crawley not a consistent run machine’

Thank goodness, then, for some balance from the great Sir Alastair Cook. He’s backing Zak Crawley, even if many others aren’t.

This isn’t criticism, per se, certainly not of the opposition, but some welcome insight for England fans.

“Crawley is a different opening batter to what history says you need: a guy who is very inconsistent and averages 30 but, on his day, plays an innings which I don’t think anyone else in the world can play at the top of the order,” Cook told TNT Sports.

“Against bowling which suits him – he prefers the ball coming on at a good pace on good, true wickets – he is a real danger for Australia.

“It has to line up well. He’s not like this consistent machine who scores runs, but they’re definitely fearful of that, without a shadow of a doubt.

“Because an hour of Duckett and Crawley playing well, or an hour and a half on that first morning, England will build huge momentum and it starts the series well.”