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England's Jofra Archer, centre, is congratulated by teammates after taking five wickets during play on day two of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Ahead of this edition of the Ashes, Australia great Glenn McGrath had predicted that England would lose to Australia 5-0. A claim that many turned their nose up at now seems to be on its way to reality with England already 0-3 down in the series and have no chance of reclaiming the urn. They, however, are staring at a very real possibility of getting whitewashed 5-0.
In his latest column for the BBC, McGrath said that England not winning a Test in Australia in their last 18 tries might be down to their players’ mentality. “England came here with a big reputation. We heard lots about how this was their best chance to win here since 2010-11, and how this was the worst Australia team since then. No-one expected Australia to be 3-0 up after three Tests. We can criticise England – and plenty of people have – but we also must give immense credit to Australia for the way they have played,” McGrath wrote on BBC.
“I do not believe England’s long barren run in Australia is down to the quality of their players. Joe Root and Ben Stokes, the cornerstones of this current team and two of the greatest to ever play for England, have never won a Test here. If this long winless streak is not down to ability, it must be down to mentality,” he added.
England were thrashed by 8 wickets in just 2 days in the 1st Test at Perth before going down by 8 wickets once again in the pink ball Test at Brisbane. Their only chance to stay alive in the series was down to them winning or drawing the 3rd Test at Adelaide. They, however, lost by 82 runs and Australia retained the Ashes with 2 Tests at Melbourne and Sydney still in hand.
So often, I hear the English talk up how difficult it is to come to Australia. Not just what happens on the field, but everything that goes on away from cricket. It’s all about getting sledged in the airport, or in restaurants. England players talk about having to take on the entire country, rather than just the Australia team. There is so much discussion about the conditions in Australia – the pitches and the heat.
“Can England players get themselves into the state of mind where they relish a tour of Australia, rather than talking it up as the hardest thing they will ever do? Can England remove those mental blocks before the next Ashes in this country in 2029-30? Before then, they have two more opportunities to end their winless streak, with Tests in Melbourne and Sydney,” McGrath wrote.
“However, if we’re talking about mentality, it will not get any easier for England. They are due to play in front of 100,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, most of whom will be firmly behind Australia. The Boxing Day Test is an institution in Australian sport and the atmosphere on Friday will be electric. It will be a tough place to be an English cricketer,” he added.
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