The world’s oldest and fiercest rivalry, The Ashes, is set to ignite once again as Australia defends the urn against an aggressively confident England side in the 2025-26 series.
The five-Test series, kicking off on November 21 at Optus Stadium in Perth, pits Pat Cummins’ dominant home team against the revolutionary “Bazball” philosophy under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. This highly anticipated edition follows the gripping 2-2 draw in England in 2023, where Australia managed to retain the coveted trophy but failed to secure an outright series win. Stokes and McCullum’s record-breaking partnership faces its ultimate test in Australian conditions where the visiting side has historically struggled to win a series since 2010-11. The clash of ideologies and the pressure on emerging stars like Harry Brook promise an unforgettable and fiercely competitive spectacle for cricket fans globally.
Greg Chappell compares England’s current batter to Sachin Tendulkar ahead of Ashes 2025-26
The build-up to the Ashes 2025-26 has received a massive injection of hype following an extraordinary assessment from former Australian captain Greg Chappell, who placed England’s destructive middle-order batter Harry Brook in the pantheon of greats by comparing him to a young Sachin Tendulkar.
Such high praise from a respected rival is arguably the highest level of endorsement a visiting player can receive, signaling that the Australian legend views the 26-year-old as a genuinely generational talent capable of dominating world cricket. The comparison focuses not just on Brook’s statistical dominance, but on the technical purity and minimalism of his strokeplay, setting the stage for his much-anticipated debut tour of Australia where many previous English stars have faltered.
Greg Chappell made the sensational comparison after watching Brook on television, quickly naming him the English player he was most “interested in seeing live” during the Ashes. Chappell’s analysis delved deep into the technical simplicity that underpins Brook’s prolific run-scoring, noting that his technique mirrors Tendulkar’s early genius.
Chappell specifically stated: “I’ve watched him bat on television and he reminds me very much of Sachin Tendulkar in Sachin’s early part of his career.”
Chappell then elaborated on the specific technical traits that justify the comparison: “Very minimal movement early on, picks off the angles really well and can score off most deliveries – there’s not many deliveries that he can’t score off.” This ability to generate power and score consistently off good-length balls with minimal pre-meditation is the foundation of his greatness.
The historical Australian Test for England in Ashes 2025-26
Brook arrives on Australian shores carrying not only the weight of the Tendulkar comparison but also a phenomenal, destructive record that establishes him as one of the most exciting batters in the world. He has already amassed 2,820 runs in just 30 Test appearances at an elite average of 57.55, including 10 centuries. His highly aggressive style, underpinned by a striking strike-rate in the high 80s, continually puts pressure on rival bowlers and places him in the upper echelon of Test cricket’s modern aggressors, a style highlighted by his second-fastest Test triple-century against Pakistan just over a year ago.
This proven record will be severely tested on his inaugural Ashes tour, a challenge Chappell acknowledged by warning:
“Australia has historically been a test for England batsmen to adapt the first time around and how he adapts will be interesting to watch.”
The pressure is intensified by history: Root has famously never managed a Test century in Australia, and among the current squad, only skipper Stokes has reached the three-figure milestone Down Under. This historical context amplifies the enormous expectation on Brook to not only adapt but thrive in his first attempt at the ultimate challenge in Test cricket, starting November 21 in Perth.
