Former Australia opener and coach Justin Langer has questioned whether England have the “killer instinct” to win the Ashes on Australian soil this winter.
After embracing a new era under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, England are set to head Down Under for a defining series for the regime as they attempt to win an away Ashes series for the first time since 2010-11.
The tourists have failed to win a single Test on their three trips to Australia since that success, with the hosts generally dominant and securing drawn series on their last two visits to England.
Under Stokes and McCullum, England’s results have improved significantly – though they were frustrated to squander opportunities to secure a series victory against India during their home summer.
Ex-opener Langer, who spent four years in charge of Australia between 2018 and 2022, believes both that series and the last Ashes here, which was also drawn 2-2, betray a lack of winning edge within the England side.
“I think it is going to be a really close series,” he told the For the Love of Cricket podcast. “My question for England will be have you got the killer instinct to finish off a series, if you get a chance?
“I’ve seen it with the 2-2 here in the last Ashes series, 2-2 against India. It was a good series, but England had their chances to win that series. Have you got the killer instinct to win the Ashes in Australia? That’s going to be the big question.”
The 2023 series between the two sides saw England’s uber-aggressive approach with the bat worry Australia at times, though they fell 2-0 behind in the series and had to battle back to secure a draw in the fifth Test at the Oval.
The intervention of rain at Old Trafford perhaps proved costly with the hosts on top in Manchester, though the key moment of the series for Langer came at Lord’s in the second Test.
Just after tea on the second day with England progressing well in reply to Australia’s first innings 416, visiting spinner Nathan Lyon suffered a series-ending calf injury.
England were, however, unable to take advantage of Australia’s remaining four-pronged seam attack with a series of soft dismissals on their way to a 91-run first-innings deficit – which proved key as they fell 2-0 behind.
“Remember when Nathan Lyon hurt his calf muscle at Lord’s in the last series here at Lord’s?” Langer continued. “I remember sitting with people watching and I said, ‘that’s the end of the series, that’s the series done’. He is so important. He goes down, and then that next two hours of batting was the dumbest batting I’ve seen in my life. I nearly walked out of Lord’s as a cricket tragic.
“That was the moment. I know the Test went close and there was the Alex Carey [stumping of Jonny Bairstow] and that sort of stuff later in the Test, but that two hours, Australia started bouncing England and blokes were running down trying to hook it. That was the moment right then.”
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