Former Australian pacer Gillespie feels lack of adaptability with bat will cost England the Ashes series

The Ashes series 2025-26 will kickstart in Perth from November 21 onwards. Currently, the Ashes urn is with England following a 2-2 draw in the UK. England has not won a Test in Australia since 2011, when they last won the series. They had lost all two previous series in Australia by 4-0 and faced a whitewash in 2013. They have not held the prestigious urn at home either, drawing the series in 2019 and 2023.

Speaking on Wisden Cricket Patreon channel, the former pacer, a four-time Ashes winner himself, said, as quoted by Wisden, "I do not think so. I think Australia play incredibly well in home conditions. My concern for England is, how are they going to take 20 wickets? But also, are they adaptable enough with the bat?"

"We have seen how they look to go about it, they look to score quickly. I think the surfaces here will offer enough assistance to the Australian bowlers to make the most of it. But I am not sure how adaptable the England batting lineup is to counter the conditions here in Australia because we have seen, and I will put my hat on of when I was coach of Pakistan and we beat England 2-1 last year, that lack of adaptability, particularly with the bat in hand I think really cost England," he added.

Going into the away Ashes series, England has been focusing on express-pace bowlers who can thrive in Australia. The team's managing director, Rob Key, has expressed the desire for his bowlers to bowl really quick, and has also named bowlers who he feels can find success in Australia, including Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse.

Gillespie likes England's thinking of having their bowlers with "extra air speed," but he would also like "a couple of accurate seamers."

"I would have a couple of accurate seamers, guys that can bash a disk over and over type bowlers. I would still have them in the squad but I do not disagree with the thought of having some out and out express pace... I think you have got to have a balance of raw pace and accuracy," said Gillespie.

Gillespie has also voiced his support for Essex seamer Sam Cook, who has taken 311 wickets in 86 first-class matches at an average of 19.57 with best figures of 7/23. Cook is yet to make his Test debut, though he has been efficient with the Kookaburra ball in County Championship games. He spent the winter touring Australia with England Lions and took 13 scalps in three matches.

"He could do a role for sure. I watched him when the England Lions were out here. He was close to being the pick of the bowlers from what I saw and the games that I was at. He was quick enough, a tall lad who hit the seam. And he was the most accurate seamer and had decent figures. I certainly think he should be in contention, so we will see where it stands. He is brisker than you think, it is not like he is bowling 74-75 mph. I would be hesitant to pick a bowler that bowls that, but if he is bowling 80 mph, a lot of good bowlers have taken a lot of wickets bowling at 80 mph. So I would not rule him out for sure," he added.

Another option is Dan Worrell, an Australian and Surrey pacer who now qualifies to represent England. While Key also name-checked him, he also said that there was "probably" not a role for him in the Ashes.

"He should absolutely be in contention for England," said Gillespie of Worrall. "Ultimately, you can plan for the future and the like, but with the Ashes series, it is about the here and now and about winning that actual series. If he is in the best six or seven quicks that England have on offer, he has got experience in Australian conditions, why would not you look at him?" he concluded.