Australia look beatable in the Ashes after South Africa exposed weaknesses

Telegraph

9 hours ago

It has been a magnificent week for Test cricket at Lord's, and huge congratulations to South Africa for a remarkable victory.
Nobody, including me, gave them a chance in this game but they utilised conditions and held their nerve when it mattered most – which is something we have not always said about them.
I loved it as an event and believe that while the World Test Championship is far from perfect, a showpiece one-off final with everything on the line is just what the greatest format of the game needs. The atmosphere was incredible and it reminded me that in the UK we don't need England to be playing to host Test cricket with a fantastic vibe.
In the early days of the WTC, we have had three different winners: New Zealand, Australia and now South Africa. That's great for the game and shows the strength and depth of Test cricket. The next three finals are set to be in the UK, so England need to get their act together and be part of a great occasion. That includes making sure they don't get any over-rate penalties.
With my England hat on, it was very interesting to watch Australia lose this game having had such a healthy first-innings lead.
The first thing I would say is that just because they lost this week doesn't mean they will be an easy beat for England in the Ashes. I'm not getting giddy about it. But South Africa have provided a reminder that they can be beaten.
Here is how Australia are shaping up.
Vulnerable batting
I think England can take real heart from Australia's batting performance in this Test. It looks vulnerable. Usman Khawaja against fast bowling looks very close to the end, and he is joined in the top three by Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green, two guys batting out of position.
Square pegs in round holes very rarely works in Test cricket, and I have always believed this format requires dedicated openers who have done the job for a few years. So much has changed in the game in recent years with wonderful innovations and wacky selections, but some things stay the same. Opening the batting is one of them: openers are born, not made, in my opinion.
Overall, I look at Australia's batting and think 'where would they be without Steve Smith'? It sounds like he will miss some of the tour to the West Indies, so we will find out quite soon. They are a batting line-up that needs a build-up, and some game time. They were shown up by Jasprit Bumrah when undercooked in the first Test in November, and again here. If you can find a bit of lateral movement, as South Africa did, this is a very vulnerable batting order, and I will be watching with interest to see if there are changes to it before the Ashes. That wouldn't be a surprise.
One thing that we must bear in mind is that South Africa have Kagiso Rabada, a genuinely world-class bowler who ruthlessly exploited Australia's weaknesses. I'd place him alongside Pat Cummins and just behind Bumrah among the best bowlers in the world. England don't have anyone who belongs in that bracket.
South Africa also caught very well, especially in the cordon on the first morning. England cannot be shelling catches if they want to beat Australia this year.
Congratulation South Africa 🇿🇦 on winning the World Test Championship
Thoroughly deserved this - What a final !
8 Test victories in a row for the Proteas, defeating the mighty Aussies in the final.
Aiden Markram, Bavuma, Rabada and the rest of the team - All Heroes #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/RWWvQTaCok
— Annus Raza (@annusraza) June 14, 2025
Bowling still outstanding
Australia's bowlers are still outstanding. It's a relentless seam attack, with Cummins a simply outstanding seamer.
I thought South Africa played them to perfection in the second innings. I was so impressed with how they adapted, and were positive early on, having been bowled out cheaply in the first innings. But they weren't wedded to a style and trying to be brave all the time. They realised that against a great attack like that you have to go up and down the gears. You can't attack all the time.
That was the template of how you play against Australia, and I hope England were watching. You've got to dig in at times against quality. In Test cricket, especially in the UK, you can't play just one way.
Regeneration needed
The one thing you would say about the attack, though, is that it is old. This team overall has only one player in his twenties (Green) and even their newer finds, like Beau Webster and Josh Inglis, are in their thirties.
I look at Australia and wonder if they are heading towards a barren period like they had around the 2010/11 Ashes. Three great players retired at the end of the 2006/07 Ashes, and a load more followed not long after. A great generation can retire all at once.
I don't think it will happen before this year's Ashes, but I would be looking for some regeneration if I was Australia. It's tricky these days, because players have such big contracts they don't want to give up, so sometimes the management need to make tough decisions.
Khawaja is 39 this year, Nathan Lyon 38. Mitchell Starc is 35 and Josh Hazlewood 34, and both have huge opportunities on the franchise circuit. There will be some big holes to fill before long. It takes a fair while to blood new bowlers, and you want to ease them in gradually rather than all at once.
Pat Cummins has admitted his ageing Australia team is in need of a 'reset' with the Ashes looming and a new cycle of the World Test Championship beginning.
Australia travel to the Caribbean for three Tests after a team containing 10 players in their thirties and an average age of 33 were beaten by South Africa in the World Test Championship final. In November, they host England in the Ashes.
'It does feel like a bit of a fresh start,' said Cummins. 'Fast forward a couple of years and you start thinking about who might make the final. Do we want to get the games into them? Is now the right time to change or do we hold? We will have a think about the Windies after we've digested this. For me, a new WTC cycle does feel like a reset.
'It's more for the selectors and me to sit down and map it ahead. In white ball, you build on four-year cycles to World Cups. In Test matches, you can do something similar. We have guys like Sam Konstas, Scotty Boland, Josh Inglis on the fringes and after this Test match everyone gets thrown back into the conversation and we'll have a bit of a reset for that first Test.'