"They hold the key"- Ricky Ponting names two stars of the ENG vs IND series who can dominate Australia in The Ashes 2025-26

Ricky Ponting also said that Australia are uncertain of their batting line-up for The Ashes 2025-26.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting feels that England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett can dominate Australian bowlers during The Ashes 2025-26. The much-awaited test series between Australia and England will commence in November.

Australia, the hosts of The Ashes 2025-26, will clash with England in five tests during the series. The opening game will be played at Perth Stadium, Perth, from November 21. The final encounter will be played from January 4 to 8, 2026 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney.

Recently, Crawley and Duckett showed wonderful form with the bat in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The opening duo provided their team with brilliant starts in almost every game and dominated Indian bowlers with their hard-hitting batting style at the top.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett hold the key in Australia during Ashes 2025: Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting, who was one of the commentators during the test series between England and India, in a conversation with The Times, said that if Crawley and Duckett can bat like they did against India, they can dominate Australian bowlers during The Ashes 2025-26.

“I think they can [play a similar way in Australia], and they will definitely try. It’s the way they naturally play and it’s the way the coaches and captain want them to play. It’s the way they need to play – it just sets up everything for England, putting immediate pressure back on the bowlers,” he said.

“They probably hold the key in Australia. If they can bat really well at the top, and set things up, that will give them a good chance in the series,” he added.

Notably, Duckett slammed 462 runs in the five games against India at an average of over 51, while Crawley mustered 290 runs at an average of 32.22.

Moreover, Ponting feels that Australia are uncertain about their batting line-up for The Ashes 2025-26. However, they have a strong bowling department.

“There’s probably more uncertainty about the Australian line-up. They’ve been talking at home about how important the first few rounds of Sheffield Shield cricket are going to be for those top-order batters. The bowling group will look after itself,” he said.

“Marnus [Labuschagne] will be in the mix and they might go back to him as an opener if it doesn’t work out for [Sam] Konstas, or even [Usman] Khawaja, in the early rounds of Shield cricket,” Ponting further said.

The Ashes 2025-26 will be England and Australia’s next campaign in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. Australia grab the top spot in the ICC WTC 2025-27 points table with a win percentage (PCT) of 100.0. England occupy the fourth spot with a win percentage of 43.33.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.