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Pom's views: Australia's "Dad's Army" Ashes squad
SEN • November 6th, 2025 10:42 am
The English media have had their say following Australia's 15-man first Test Ashes squad announcement.
The Aussies named a fairly regulation squad for the Perth Test on Wednesday, with no real shock selections as Sam Konstas made way and Jake Weatherald, Brendan Doggett, Sean Abbott and Josh Inglis joined the rest who appeared certainties.
While the squad is made up of plenty of stars who have dominated England at home across the last two home Ashes series, the media across the pond clearly don't rate the group the Aussies have come up with.
From 'Dad's Army' to Jofra Archer licking his lips, here's what the English thought of Australia's initial Ashes squad!
Australia’s ‘Dad’s Army’ Ashes squad: safe, seasoned, and unsurprising
According to Will Macpherson of the UK Telegraph, “there were no surprises gambles or smokies” in the squad which he goes on to claim not too dissimilar to the one named for the “doomed “ campaign of 2010-11.
“The first thing that stands out is the age of the squad,” Macpherson writes. “There is just one player, 26-year-old Cameron Green, who is in his 20s, while seven are north of 34. Many are labelling Australia “Dad’s Army.”
Just three members of the England squad are over the age of 31.
Jofra Archer will be licking his lips
Macpherson’s colleague Nick Hoult meanwhile says England star Jofra Archer will be “licking his lips” when he sees the 15-man squad named by George Bailey.
With the opening partnership for Australia an on-going mystery, one option is for Usman Khawaja to bat alongside Jake Weatherald at one and two. Besides blooding a new opener, this would mean two left-handers against a new ball which Holt says “means Archer when he is at his freshest”.
The stats say it all; Archer has taken 21 on his 51 Test wickets against left-handers but just 30% of his bowling has been against lefties.
“It is as if the Australia selectors picked their squad with a plan to please Jofra Archer by ignoring his potency against left-handers,” Hoult writes. “Six of Australia’s XI in Perth could be left-handers, including Travis Head at No 5 and Alex Carey at No 7.”
England can exploit Australia’s muddled thinking over openers
Writing for The Times, ex England captain, Mike Atherton is dumfounded that two weeks out from the opening Test in Perth, Australia “still do not know who will partner Usman Khawaja”.
“An established and settled opening partnership is an essential part of a functioning team — there haven’t been many good sides found wanting in this regard — and it seems remarkable that weeks before one of the most anticipated Ashes series, Australia still don’t know what their combination is or will be,” Atherton writes.
Atherton notes that since David Warner’s retirement in January 2024, Khawaja has opened with five different partners (Labuschagne, Smith, Konstas, McSweeney and Head) and the side still looks no closer to knowing what will happen at Optus Stadium. It could be a sixth new partner in Weatherald.
Besides focusing on what we all have since Marnus Labuschagne was dropped after the WTC and Sam Konstas’ nose dive form, Atherton is also picking on the age of the Aussie side – one in particular.
“All the speculation has rather detracted from the uncertainty over Khawaja’s position, too. At 38 — he turns 39 during the third Test in Adelaide — Khawaja has looked short of his best at the highest level for some time, especially against bowlers with an extra yard of pace, as England’s attack is likely to have if Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are fit,” Atherton adds.
